A story in miscommunications
by AgentOfShip
Summary: Since first being rival students at Oxford, Jemma Simmons and Leo Fitz's paths had been intertwined in all kinds of different ways without them ever being able to define their relationship. But when they themselves in a completely new position, will they take that one step and manage to finally understand each other?
1. Chapter 1

**I've started that story a little bit before the season five finale from an idea that just wouldn't get out of my head but once the finale aired, I wasn't really up for it anymore since it's pretty angsty at some point and I was all about the fluff at the time. Now that I feel like I'm kind of over the finale, I'm going to try and finish this. The title is pretty self explanatory and the story is set in a non-SHIELD AU where they never became friends back in university. As you may have noticed, it's rated E and is going to be pretty smutty (although some chapters will be very smutty, others not at all) and it's also my first time experimenting with non linear timeline and flashbacks. So every time we go back in time or come back to the present, the time and place will be stated in bold letters to make easier to understand. I already have three chapters finished and it will most likely be around seven or eight chapters total. I'll update as often as possible and at least the next one should be up as soon as I've finished proof-reading it.**

 **As always and especially now that I'm experimenting with something new, reviews will be most welcome!**

-0-0-0-

 _ **San Fransisco annual BioTech conference, February 2018**_

Jemma was a smart woman. More than that even, she was a certified genius: two PHDs obtained before she even turned eighteen, a prestigious job at Sci-Tech industries offered to her before she was even out of university, and promoted as head of the biochem division only three years later when she was barely old enough to go out for a drink to celebrate with her friends. So when she was invited to be one of the star speakers at one of the most prestigious biotech conferences in the US for the third year in a row, the only things she should have been worried about were if she'd rehearsed her speech well enough for it not to sound like she was reading her notes too much or if there wasn't a single picture missing from her presentation. She supposed it was only human to regret that she didn't check in the mirror one last time to see if her hair looked okay or if she didn't have lipstick on her teeth. What she definitely shouldn't have been worried about though, as she faced a room full of people who came to listen to her talk about her latest break-through in biochemistry, was the fabric of her ridiculously small and uncomfortable (but really quite flattering) underwear digging into her skin and how she had to be discreet enough so that people didn't notice how she had to squirm to release the awful itch caused by that stupid lace the sales lady had insisted was of the best possible quality.

As she scanned the room for familiar faces, for a second she wondered how she'd come to be THAT woman. And as her gaze locked on one specific blue eyed engineer's face, she remembered that, of course, she knew exactly how she'd come to be that woman. Even in the relative darkness of the room, his annoyingly beautiful face stood out from the crowd, his small smile and bright eyes a perfect mask of innocence as he looked up at her with, she had to admit, most likely sincere interest. Things had taken an unexpected turn exactly a year ago at that same conference but she supposed she should have known he was trouble the moment she stumbled upon him at another conference in Houston almost two years prior to that. She hadn't seen him since Oxford's graduation party four years before that and considering what had happened that night between them and how he'd disappeared after, they'd resumed their previous "relationship" that consisted of arguing and bickering over even the smallest things every time they spent even just a few minutes in the same room. Back then and just as it had been at university, it never really occurred to her that she could just avoid him -after all those conferences always took place in huge hotels and lasted a few days at the most, it would have been easy enough- but she supposed that even then, there was some sort of irresistible kind of love-hate attraction between them -not to mention the memory of that party years ago- and it was only confirmed when things finally took quite a heated -and in retrospect not so unexpected- turn. Trying to turn her focus back to her lecture, she used the small time she had between two sections of her speech to take a deep breath, shake her head, and find a few other friendly faces in the crowd that didn't fill her brain with dirty images and confusing feelings.

The rest of her lecture went by pretty smoothly. Of course, she knew the material was really good and she was usually a pretty good public speaker -her accent helping her being taken seriously despite her young age- so once she was able to push certain distractions to the back of her mind, she managed to captivate the audience and deliver a rather flawless speech if she said so herself. As was expected, there were several questions at the end, a few ones actually interesting, and once she left the stage, she was quite overwhelmed by the amount of people who wanted to talk to her more privately. There were the old friends or colleagues simply congratulating her and the few people who were apparently too shy to ask their questions in public. Her dendrotoxine being quite the break-through, her big boss had warned her that there would be other companies trying to recrute her, and when she saw how many actually did, she finally understood why her bonus had been so generous a few months ago and why she was staying in one of the deluxe rooms this year. (and also most likely why her boss had found some free time to come this year as well). And of course, and it was sadly not a first, there was the creepy old guy making barely disguised and pretty disgusting flirty comments, from whom she fortunately easily managed to escape thanks to a few sharp comebacks and the presence of her rather physically impressive friend and colleague Bobbi Morse, who somehow always managed to appear threatening (if she wanted to) without ever taking the smile off her face.

By the time Bobbi had to say goodbye to go and get ready for dinner with a friend, the room was empty and Fitz was nowhere to be seen. After the initial pang of disappointment, she reasoned that he probably had quite a busy schedule as well. Apart from the talks, those conferences were also good opportunities to catch up with old friends and colleagues but mostly the perfect place to have professional meetings and job interviews with companies from all over the globe without having to take a single hour off work or arouse suspicion. She didn't know if Fitz was actually looking for another job, he seemed content with what he was doing at the moment, but he was also rather secretive about work in general so who knew? And that was why she also suspected he'd been working for the government immediately after graduating, which would explain why they'd never crossed paths until a few years ago or why she couldn't find a single thing he might have published during those years, which she found surprising, brilliant as he was. Not that she thought of him so often, not at all. She'd just be stuck on something at work that required an engineer and when she couldn't find one that was good enough, her mind would automatically stray towards Fitz. But the few times she was desperate enough to think about contacting him and actually looked, she couldn't even find a trace of him on a company website or social medias, until she unexpectedly saw his name on the program of the science and technology conference of Chicago almost three years ago.

Anyway, he probably had better things to do than wait for her to finish answering everyone's questions, and the night was still young. It was only 6 PM and even though she didn't feel like having dinner already, it felt like the perfect time to grab a drink from the hotel bar, the nice one with a pretty impressive view over the city and an actual fireplace. Pondering for a moment if she should go back to her room to change into something a bit more comfortable, she finally decided against it and used the elevator to go all the way up to the last floor. After taking a quick detour to the ladies' room to freshen up a bit, she, not very convincingly, lied to herself as she took a look around the still rather empty bar and told herself she could use this time to catch up with a few old colleagues she didn't have time to see anywhere other than during conferences a few times a year. Because if she was obviously disappointed about not seeing one specific mop of sandy blond curls, she was actually also rather relieved not to see any other familiar face that would potentially prevent him from coming to see her later. Because, let's be honest, she didn't go to all the trouble of wearing those bloody stupid underwear all afternoon for them to remain hidden under her clothes all evening.

-0-0-0-

When he finally came to talk to her almost an hour later, she thought for a few moments that things might be different this time. For a year, she'd been coming to every conference knowing he'd be there and hoping against hope that instead of hot angry dirty sex resulting from a strange mix of flirting, passionate conversation and infuriating arguing, they'd actually have a civilized conversation, maybe even dinner and yes, hopefully sex but something sweeter that would lead to maybe … more and a conversation about what they were supposed to be to one another outside of hotel rooms (or hotel bars or conference room supply closets or …) Well she'd find out soon enough.

He cleared his throat almost shyly as he approached her but still managed to make her jump a little bit, absorbed as she was by the book on artificial intelligence she was reading. When she looked up at him, he was wearing one of those adorable soft smiles that made her wish every time that she could just give in to her instincts of welcoming him with a sweet loving kiss, and was holding a pint in one hand and a glass of what looked like to be gin in the other. Of course by now, he knew what she liked to drink. Actually he knew what she liked, period.

"Am I interrupting anything?" He asked with a small grin and a tilt of his head.

"Mmmh …" She pretended to think. "Nothing that cannot wait until later I suppose." She said, carefully placing her bookmark into her book and motioning for him to sit in the armchair across from hers. "Much later hopefully" She added to herself.

"So … busy day?" She asked once he'd settled and, she noticed with a small grin, moved his armchair around so he'd sit closer to her.

"Not really actually … nothing really interesting to see besides your lecture … been sitting over there looking at you for half an hour" he said, nodding to the other side of the bar with a tilt of his head and she raised her eyebrows.

"Bit creepy, isn't it?" She teased.

"No just you seemed really fascinated with that book and you know … making sure you weren't waiting for anyone. Didn't want to impose on you if you did …" He said with that same soft smile. He'd gotten better at controlling his emotions over the years and she would have believed him if it wasn't for the mischievous sparkle in his eyes. Because of course he knew he was the one who recommended this book and he knew she hadn't been waiting for anyone else but him and he knew that she knew he knew. She would have rolled her eyes at him but she liked that definitely very flirty and less angry edge she thought their conversations had taken since that last conference in Berlin or maybe even that other one in Baltimore.

"How thoughtful … But no I was just you know … relaxing a bit …" She replied in a slightly lower tone as she crossed one leg over the other, knowing it would rid her skirt up a bit. He tried to hide it but she could see his adam's apple bob as he swallowed a little harder than usual. She never thought much of her legs, didn't think they were her best asset considering her height, but Fitz loved them and he had a thing for skirts too and well, two could play at this game.

"Oh yeah …" He said, clearing his throat. "Big day for you, right? You were quite popular back there!"

"Yes … people seemed to think it was rather promising! Even got a few job offers after my lecture actually, even one from a pretty interesting company in London." She said with a wide smile he reciprocated immediately. It was nice to feel wanted. It wasn't the first time she had a job offer after one of her lectures, especially since she became head of biochem and started going to so many of those conferences but she still wasn't quite used to it.

"Well I didn't expect any less, you're getting really impressive results with your dendrotoxine. And are you interested in any of those offers? I mean I suppose it'd be nice to be closer to home but I thought you liked it at SciTech … "

"Oh no I do, I love the work I'm doing there. None of those jobs would be give me the freedom I have at SciTech but … you know I suppose I just appreciate the interest."

Ah … yeah of course." He replied, sounding almost relieved. Why would he be worried about her leaving SciTech? Was he scared that he wouldn't see her as much if she left the US maybe? Was that him being possessive? No. He didn't think of her that way or he wouldn't have left like he did back when they were seventeen. And even if those feelings were new, considering what had been happening between them for a year, he would have said something by now. She thought she'd sent him enough signals to show him she wanted more than what they had. She was probably reading into it too much or maybe she was just seeing what she wanted to see.

"So … pretty impressive hu?" She asked, grinning. They usually had to argue for hours before he'd eventually agree that her work was any good.

"Well of course it is! I told you yours was the only interesting lecture today and we both know we're the smartest people in this hotel anyway." He replied with a roll of his eyes but she couldn't help noticing how he'd twisted his body to the side and was bending over his armrest to get closer to her. Close enough that she could smell his discreet cologne.

"WE are the smartest people in this hotel?" She repeated, raising her eyebrows up to her hairline. "Fitz, how much have you been drinking?" She teased.

"First drink of the conference actually!" He said, clinking the thick glass of his pint against the delicate glassware containing her gin. "Cheers!"

"Cheers!" She replied. "And thanks …" She added with a smile, taking a small gulp of what was really good gin, much better than the one she'd been drinking for an hour and she chastised herself for wanting to see that fact for more than what it was. Fitz was a gentleman and a generous man in more than one aspect of his life and if he was going to get someone a drink, it would be from one of the top shelf bottles.

"But really, we might have been fighting and arguing for the better part of ten years but I never denied that you were the smartest person I know Simmons. And I always look forward to your lectures at every conference."

"Oh …" Was all she could say. There was an earnestness in his eyes that kind of took her breath away and prevented her from pointing out that he forgot to say "except for me".

"And I think that dendrotoxine is quite possibly the best thing you ever worked on. It could be revolutionary in so many fields of science and technology …"

"I know! That's the idea. It's only just been officially approved for human testing but I'm pretty sure that by experimenting with dosage or coupled with other molecules, it could potentially be used as anesthetics for surgery or as a tranquilizer without all the side effects those usually have …"

"Yeah yeah those are all really good applications Simmons and I …" He cut her off and she knew exactly what was coming.

"But?" She said, raising a defiant eyebrow.

"What?"

"There's always a "but" coming with you Fitz …"

"No I was just agreeing with you on …" He started but when he looked up to meet her disbelieving gaze, he let out a resigned sigh. "Fine I just … I think those are great applications, I really do, but there are so many more ways to use it, it's just too bad that you would only go towards the medical field …"

"Well why does that surprise you? That's what I specialized in …"

"I know I know but I wish you wouldn't limit your imagination so much, if you could work on it with someone else, maybe …"

"Ugh Fitz!" She finally cried out.

It was possibly a record. They probably never spent so many minutes speaking to each other without one of them crying out the other's name in exasperation and she chastised herself for getting her hopes up that things would go differently. And now that the conversation had started going that way, she knew exactly where it was going and the only unknown was which room they would end up the night in. Because that was exactly how it all started a year ago and that was exactly how things happened almost every other time they'd seen each other since then. Even though they didn't really talk about it, there was some sort of unspoken agreement that what they had was just sex and shouldn't lead to more. Ever since that first time, the moment their gaze locked again even across a crowded room, they knew how the night would end. But she'd actually come to realize, over the months, was that she just never wanted it to end.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Thanks for all the nice reviews I had on that first chapter :)  
And just so you know, heavy smut incoming right now :D**_

 _ **San Francisco annual BioTech conference, February 2017**_

She wasn't even supposed to stay for another night, and neither was he, so if she was the kind of person who believed in this kind of things, she'd say that it was fated to happen. But since she was a scientist, she just thought it was a rather fortunate set of circumstances that lead them to end the night together the way they did. (although she didn't think them fortunate until it was pretty late but then she expressed it rather enthusiastically and repeatedly) She had booked the latest plane leaving for New York so she would have the time to see a few lectures in the afternoon and one in particular by engineer Leopold Fitz. Considering the weather forecast announcing a storm hitting the midwest some time in the evening or night, most people who had to fly back to the east coast had decided to be cautious and take an earlier plane if they could. But as annoying as he could be, she had to admit Fitz's lectures were always a treat and the topic often really interesting. He had this nearly childish enthusiasm about everything he said that was extremely contagious and more than a little charming. (although she'd never admit that to his face) And she didn't want to miss it. So she'd already informed the hotel that she might need her room for another night and she was right to do so because she got a text informing her that her plane was cancelled before his lecture was even over.

Working and living in Boston, Fitz was obviously in the same situation because, after checking back in to her hotel room, taking a quick shower and changing into something more casual, she found him at the bar, quietly sipping a beer and typing something on his phone. She didn't know what pushed her to go talk to him instead of just quietly turning back and enjoying a drink from the mini bar in her comfortable hotel room. Well no, that was another lie. She knew exactly why. She knew the conversation would undoubtedly make her blood boil at some point but she just had too many questions to ask him about the drones he presented and to be honest, despite the conflicting feelings that aroused whenever she was around him, she never had such interesting conversations as the ones she had with Fitz.

"Plane got cancelled?" She asked as a ways of saying hello. They somehow hadn't crossed paths yet since the start of the conference.

"Oh no, I just happen to really love hotel bars and weak American beer!" He replied with a smirk.

"Oh of course, only a raging alcoholic would call sophisticated drones dwarves!" She grinned, air quoting the words dwarves as she sat next to him, not even bothering to ask if he didn't mind. But she supposed that he didn't since he shifted on his stool to face her with an expression that was definitely interested and only just a tiny bit annoyed.

"First of all, it's American beer, it's not even considered an alcoholic beverage in several countries and second of all, it's a great name!" He said, finishing his sentence with a slightly childish tone that matched the name.

"Oh come on, you got the name from a children's fairy tale, bit immature don't you think?"

"Have you read the original tale? It's terrifying! Not really a children's book if you ask me! And anyway, it's a catchy name and it's fun and imaginative and it makes sense since there are seven of them! What would you have me call them? The seven days of the week, bit boring no? Or the seven deadly sins? A bit too religious for my taste … No the dwarves all have a different personality just like my dwarves all have different functions, it makes perfect sense …"

"Ugh!" She let out, rolling her eyes. "Fine! Doc makes sense I guess: he's the boss and compiles all the data together. But what about the others? What could bashful possibly do? You didn't even show all of them during your presentation."

"That's because it's top secret!" He grinned and she rolled her eyes again.

"Fine I'll tell you, bashful doesn't speak much which means he's a great listener and records all sounds on a wide range of frequencies."

Jemma had to bite her lip to stop herself from smiling at how cute it actually was and kept going.

"Alright but what if you have an idea for another one? Then there'll be eight or nine of them and it won't make sense anymore!" She said with a triumphant smile.

"Then I'll call it Snow White or the Evil Queen or the hunter or the witch or …"

"The Evil queen and the witch are the same person …" She cut him off.

"Fine, then I'll base both those dwarves on you and all they'll do is stand still and make snarky comments about other people's awesome inventions!" He cried out, his accent flaring out in anger and thankfully the bar was almost empty so only the barman turned around and gave them a curious look.

"Hey calm down! I didn't criticize your invention, I think it's actually pretty great. I just said the name was immature!"

"Ugh thanks Simmons!" He replied sarcastically but thankfully with his voice back to a normal level. "And why would YOU call them anyway?"

"The retrievers." She said from the top of her head. "And then you'd get to call each drone by a dog's name, it's adorable but more grown up and you can add as many of them as you want …"

"What? No that's … that's actually a pretty good idea …" He deflated a bit and she grinned. "But the dwarves have been approved with that name so … I guess not everybody finds it stupid!"

"I didn't say it was stupid, I said it was … never mind … did you name Grumpy after yourself?"

"No but I did name Dopey after your boyfriend Milton! He's the one that stands on the side and just copies what the other dwarves are doing …"

"Hey! He was never my boyfriend, we just went on two dates and I was … fine fine, I guess you have a point …" She conceded and it was turn to smile triumphantly. She'd gone out with Milton twice during her last year at Uni, mostly because he was nice to her and to prove that she, too, could be a normal teenager and have a social life. But it hadn't taken her long to realize that he wasn't actually being nice to her by agreeing with everything she said, he sincerely never had an opinion of his own and she quickly grew bored of him. Unfortunately, by some sort of terrible luck, Fitz had been in the same hallway the one time she gave him the one and only (very not memorable) goodnight kiss and had teased her about it for the rest of the year.

"Okay fine, I'm sorry I criticized your drone's name. Can we call a truce? I actually had serious questions about them!"

"Oh … hum yeah okay …" He replied, clearly surprised by her change of tone. "But hum … why didn't you ask directly after the presentation?"

"Because of what just happened. We're already younger than most people here, I didn't want to risk us snapping at each other like children in front of everyone …" She trailed off and he chuckled.

"Yeah you're probably right about that ... So hum … do you want something to drink?" He asked, his tone having gone back to something friendlier, which surprised her. They'd had fascinating conversations even back at Uni, but he'd clearly gotten smoother around the edges because he'd never have asked if she wanted a drink back then. He'd probably have told her she was big enough to order her own drink, which obviously she was, but it was still nice of him to ask.

"Hu yeah … gin please …"

Once he'd called the barman and ordered her drink, he turned back to her with an actual sincere smile.

"So … what did you want to know?"

"Oh it's just a few technical questions, it'll only take ten minutes I guess, twenty minutes tops!"

-0-0-0-

When the barman came four hours later to tell them they were closing and they were politely asked to leave, the conversation had somehow strayed towards Doctor Who and as infuriating as he'd been several times during the evening, the conversation had also been stimulating enough that she didn't realize so much time had passed until his stomach had started to rumble and he offered to share a plate of chips. She was so engrossed in the discussion that she didn't even consider the possibility of saying no and just going back to her room to order room service like she'd planned before entering the bar.

A few minutes later, as they came out of the elevator, they were still bickering animatedly about the same subject, their hands and shoulders bumping into each other as they tried to talk and look at each other while they walked.

"Ugh Fitz I know that, technically, the Doctor can take any human form but they'd never go for Hale Berry! The Doctor just cannot be American, I mean he's traveling in a bloody police box, he just has to be British. An American Doctor would kill the show!" She cried out as she followed him down the corridor only later realizing that it was late and she shouldn't be speaking so loud.

"Oh come on, I think it'd be fun, it would be surprising for sure …"

"No I mean even the Americans didn't dare do their own version of the show with an American Doctor. And they do that to every show, look what they did to Sherlock Holmes … there has to be a reason for that!" She retorted and he rolled his eyes.

"Oh come on, every Doctor has always been a British white male. David Tennant didn't even get to use his real accent. A little change would be good!"

"Oh so that's what it's all about, you just want more Scottish Doctors, don't you?" She grinned.

"Oh sure, Hale Berry is our national pride …"

"Well in that case, the Doctor could take the form of Amy Pond! THAT would be a real surprise!"

"No that's ridi … no actually I like that but I'm pretty sure the Doctor has to take a new form every time …"

"How can you be sure of that? The situation never presented itself so technically it could still be …"

Jemma trailed off when she looked around and realized Fitz had stopped and had his hand on the door handle, which made sense because they were now standing in front of his room. On the other hand, it wasn't on the way to Jemma's room at all and it wasn't even on the right floor. Once more, she got so engrossed in the conversation, as futile as it was, that she didn't realize she'd followed him just so they could continue speaking a little longer. And now, he was looking at her with a very annoying knowing smirk that made her want to rip it off his face.

"Simmons … you know this is my room and not yours, right?" He asked, his smirk turning into a full annoyingly smug and attractive grin.

"Of course I know that!"

"Then why are you here? Did you want something maybe?" He continued, raising a disbelieving and amused eyebrow and ... wait, did his gaze drop down to her lips? And was he actually now looking down her t-shirt so unashamedly? Or could her hormones and neglected libido make her imagine things and drive her completely crazy? She wanted to roll her eyes at completely obvious he was acting but somehow it also sent such an intense rush of heat all the way from her stomach to her toes that it took her by surprise, her cheeks heating up under his gaze as if he was able to see the effect he had on her.

"So?" He insisted, looking back into her eyes and there was something … different in them. A gleam she thought she'd seen a few times but now the meaning of it seemed glaringly obvious.

"Christ you're annoying!" She breathed out.

And then, she didn't know if it was more out of actual desire for him, frustration or because she was just too stubborn to admit she hadn't consciously followed him to his room and that their interactions inspired her more passion than most things in her life, but one second he was looking down at her and the next she was effectively wiping the smirk off his face and interrupting anything he might have been about to answer by kissing him hard. (although attacking his lips would have been a more accurate description of what happened). It took him only a second to react and then, he had his arms around her waist and pulling her inside the room once he somehow managed to blindly unlock the door with his key card. He pulled her far enough inside to close the door and pushed her back against it, immediately deepening the kiss as a deep groan reverberated through his chest. That kiss was nothing like the first ones they'd shared as teenagers, tentative and sweet and still quite innocent even in their intensity. This time there was nothing romantic and no hesitation. This one was all tongues, panting breaths and hands roaming over and under each other's clothes before Jemma's even had the chance to wonder what was happening. And when she did, just as his hand moved up from her waist to cup her breast, his thumb grazing her nipple through her bra, the only thing her lust induced brain could decide was that she liked it. A lot.

Fitz on the other hand, didn't seem to question what was happening, focused as he was on running his fingers all over the skin of her chest and back, so she started unbuttoning his shirt as he pushed her cardigan off her shoulders, all while never letting their lips separate for more than a second. She felt positively ravenous for him, more than she ever felt for anyone. She didn't know if it was his subtle but deliciously manly smell appealing to her lizard brain, his warm hands on her cold skin or the bit of alcohol she had earlier, just enough to lower her inhibitions and finally let her take what she really wanted, but she just couldn't wait to touch more of him, to feel his overheated skin under her hands and taste it on her lips and tongue. She diverted her mouth from his lips to the side his neck, biting and sucking as much as she kissed and from the way he groaned and molded himself against her, the warmth of his body against her front a stark contrast to the coldness of the wall, he clearly liked it. When he let his hands descend on her arse and pulled her against him, she could feel the hard line of his erection pressing into her hip and she moaned as a new rush of desire coursed through her body.

She couldn't believe it was Leo Fitz of all people turning her legs to jelly so quickly, making her so impatient to have him deep inside her and giving her the dirtiest of ideas about what to do after that part would be done. The berk had the audacity to chuckle when she whimpered wantonly from the lack of friction where she needed it most. She might have been the one to kiss him first but she had the funny feeling that he was much more prepared for this than she was and not surprised at all. Was it so obvious that all those years of bickering had only been the longest foreplay in the history of foreplay?

Just as she was about to get lost in her head, Fitz, always the genius, found the most effective way to bring her back to the moment and pushed one leg between hers. She moaned and her head fell back against the wall. And when he pulled back and pushed again, she couldn't stop herself from grinding against it, one leg curling around his to encourage him to keep moving. When his own desire grew stronger, he widened his stance and his knee was replaced by the hard line of his cock pressing the seam of her jeans against her clit. The sparks of pleasure grew stronger, only heightened by the way he was panting against her lips, tearing moan after moan from her throat and it all sounded so utterly pornographic that she felt a nervous laughter building inside her. But when she looked back into his eyes, Fitz was looking at her with something close to awe and longing and it made her heart beat in a way that was just too intense to bear at the moment. So she took his face into her hands, not ungently, and pulled him into another deep kiss.

She smiled against his lips as he brought his hands up to pull on the elastic of her pony tail. He threaded his fingers through her hair and massaged her scalp lightly. It felt good. Heavenly even, and some other night, it might have been all she needed. But as it was, she was already as turned on as she'd probably ever be and she needed more. She needed things to move forward, needed skin to skin contact and preferably any part of him between her legs, so she took matters into her own hands. She hadn't even taken his shirt all the way off but some things were more pressing and she went directly for the button and zipper of his trousers, sliding her hand under the elastic of his boxer briefs immediately and taking him in hand. She grinned wickedly as she felt the length and girth of him. She really would do with any part of him inside her but his cock was definitely her first choice now!

"Fuck … Jemma …" He groaned before she even started to stroke him and she chuckled breathily against his ear, even as the use of her given name with that tone sent a unexpected thrill through her whole body.

"Yeah ... that's the idea ..."

And then she did start to stroke him, moving her hand up and down his length firmly as she attacked his neck with renewed interest. She suckled on the usually sensitive spot where it met his shoulder and surprised herself by thinking she'd be tempted to do the same on another part of his anatomy right now if she wasn't so eager to have that part of him between her legs first. The thought sent a fresh wave of lust through her veins, making her grip his cock even more firmly and he couldn't help but thrust into her hands as he panted against her hair.

It was all so rough and animalistic and completely lacking in subtlety but it was without a doubt the most turned on she'd been since ... she couldn't even remember when. And she thought she'd probably come in an instant with only the smallest touch of his very capable looking hands between her legs. She was so desperate for release by now that she would have actually been fine with finishing him off with her hand as long as he did the same for her. There'd be time for slower, more thorough sex later. Because apparently, even with her brain having regressed to an almost primal state, she still realized that this, his hands, the way he kissed her, and just all of him really, it was too promising to be just a quick messy shag powered by momentary madness and over before she's even had the time to come down from the orgasm she trusted he could give her.

Apparently, a mutual hand job was definitely not what Fitz had in mind because with what seemed like an inhuman effort, he took her hand off his cock and before she had the time to protest, he was working on the button and zipper of her jeans and she just had the time to toe off her flats before he pulled both her jeans and knickers down and off her legs.

There was a moment of calm where they found themselves incapable of moving and just looked at each other like they just reached the eye of the storm. Their eyes roved over each other's body, all flushed and panting, their hearts beating out of their chest and looking completely debauched. If Fitz was anything like her, he was storing this image of her and whatever happened after that, he'd always remember what she looked like half naked and desperately waiting for him to take her apart. There was still a little surprise and disbelief in his wide eyes but also such an overwhelming lust that they were soon pulled into the whirlwind again. He grabbed her, one hand on her waist and the other on her bum, kneading the flesh with those long agile fingers of his, as he pulled her into another heated kiss. He tried blindly walking back towards the bed but they hit another wall and her pelvis came in contact with the length of his hard cock once more, his boxer briefs the only barrier between them now, and she just couldn't wait any longer. She bit his lip and tugged at it teasingly as she broke the kiss to whisper in his ear.

"Stop wasting time and just take me already Fitz …" Her voice was so husky and dripping with sex that she barely recognized herself. But being bold and asking for what she wanted so openly for once, instead of hinting at it like she usually did, was even more of a turn on. And it was kind of a revelation to her. Despite being a modern young woman and always telling herself that she didn't have to follow the rules and that she could do whatever she wanted with her own body, she'd always been pretty tame, sexually speaking. She never even had a one night stand. It was either a real relationship or nothing at all, and even in a relationship, the sex had been satisfactory but quite … standard. With Fitz there's always been something different. They could never stand each other yet they always gravitated towards one another every chance they got, so she supposed she should have known that he'd be the one to break her restraints someday.

"So bossy!" He rasped against her neck as he nipped at the skin there. But that didn't stop him from fumbling in his pockets to find his wallet and the condom fortunately stored in it. She pushed his trousers and boxers down all the way until he could step out of it as he teared open the wrapper and she watched him quickly unroll the condom on himself, involuntarily licking her lips in anticipation.

Then, just as she expected him to push her over to the bed only two meters away from where they were standing, he grabbed her waist and turned her around until she was facing the wall. He positioned himself behind her, his cock rubbing against the cushion of her arse as he pulled her flush against his chest, one hand palming her breast through her shirt while the the other descended low on her belly, holding her in a sort of strange but incredibly arousing embrace.

"This alright?" He asked breathlessly.

His hands were shaky and his whole body was thrumming in anticipation.

She could feel his hot breath on her neck as he pressed sloppy kisses everywhere he could reach, and the length of his incredibly warm and surprisingly firm body against her back and it felt like he was everywhere, envelopping her in a cloud of lust. And of course it was all right. She didn't usually have sex so soon in a relationship, or just at all if she was being honest, but this wasn't a date and she had no idea where this all could potentially lead anyway and, she couldn't believe that it was her, Jemma Simmons, thinking that, but sometimes rules were meant to be broken. Especially when they were self imposed and it made her feel so naughty and adventurous and just so blissfully good to break them. She didn't exactly voice her consent but it was obviously useless since she couldn't stop herself from moaning wantonly as her hips pushed back of their own volition. And it was all he needed to keep going because the next second, he bent her forward, his hands palming her arse in a way that made even more heat pool between her legs, and slipped the head of his cock against her folds. He bumped it against her clit with a torturous precision that made her weak in the knees and her inside walls flutter and without warning, her orgasm washed over her hard and fast and oh so good that she couldn't help the words that came out of her mouth in a strangled sob of pleasure.

"Oh fuck …"

She'd never been one to curse during sex and she would have felt embarrassed about that and how easily she achieved orgasm but Fitz barely let her come down from that high. Pulling her hips towards him again, he slammed his cock into her hard with a loud grunt, until he was all the way in and then pulled out and in again even harder. She shouted as he bottomed out, feeling her vision going spotty as the force of his thrust prolonged her release. Her walls contracted around his cock of their own volition and it made him whine in pleasure as he kept moving inside her. Her whole skin tingled from the sparks of pure pleasure he kept igniting inside her, feeling goosebumps forming everywhere. He was stretching her tight and recently too unused passage in the best possible way and she already felt another orgasm building from her center. Scrambling for purchase, she settled for placating her palms flat against the wall as she arched her back and pushed her ass up to encourage him to thrust harder and deeper.

"Christ Jemma …" He let out, his voice so low it was barely more than a whisper.

His hands were travelling constantly from her hips to her shoulder blades, going under the t-shirt he didn't even take the time to take off her as he pumped in and out of her at an increasing pace. His hands were so warm, even as overheated as she felt, and so gentle in contrast with his forceful thrusts, that it sent shivers down her spine. It was wild but also sinfully precise, making her wonder if he was calculating angles in his mind to maximize both their pleasure. The thought had her chuckling slightly but he was too focused on taking her apart to notice. On the next pass, his hands went further around until he could palm her breasts again but he let out an almost pathetic whimper when he realized she was still wearing a bra. She couldn't help letting out a breathless laughter and this time he heard it, biting her shoulder in retaliation, which only made her moan in totally unexpected pleasure. GOD. She wished someone had tried that before. Fitz clearly got the message so he decided to forego her breasts for a time as he did it again and again, tearing squeak after squeak of pleasure from her throat as he timed his thrusts with the movements of his mouth. After a time, he went for softer sucking kisses instead and she knew those would leave quite impressive marks on her pale skin but she couldn't find it in herself to care when it was sending waves of heat all the way from her toes to the roots of her hair. She never knew she liked sex to be so rough or kinky, making her wonder what else she might like. Would he ... Oh! He was cupping her sex now, his fingers rubbing at her outer folds and barely grazing her clit and suddenly here she was, on the edge, about to topple to the other side and into blissful ecstasy again.

"Fitz … please …" She moaned, not even knowing what she was begging him for but it spurt him into action nonetheless. Straightening her up slightly, he pulled on her t-shirt so hard she thought he might have ripped it and fumbled with her bra for a few seconds before popping it open and off her body until he could finally get one hand on her breast as the other took hold of her waist again as he pushed her even further into the wall. His warm palm sent a whole new host of shivers as he massaged her cup and rolled her already hardened nipple between his fingers. She was about to ask for more as her orgasm still evaded her but then he bent his knees slightly and the new angle made his cock hit her g-spot. It was so intense her vision became spotty when he started to push into her harder, groaning with every slap of his hips against her arse. And after only a few more thrusts, she came, screaming his name into the wall as she arched her back, her body still demanding more as she rode the wave of her orgasm. He pulled her to him then, completely molding his body to her and intertwining his fingers with hers where they rested on the wall. After giving her a messy hot kiss on the lips, he buried his face in the crook of her neck and he started humping her faster against the wall in a way that had her whimpering as the last shivers of pleasure coursed through her, and then he was climaxing, gasping against her ear, his teeth just barely grazing her skin as he tried to kiss and bite her but couldn't really make it as he trembled through his release. It felt like it lasted for hours, his hips pushing his pulsing cock deep inside her and panting as he kept whispering unintelligible words of praise she would have teased him about if her head didn't fill with crazy notions like never wanting to let his cock out of her because of how amazingly good it was making her feel.

For a few moments, his hips kept stuttering against her arse as he chased the last remnants of pleasure, and as his hands kept massaging her breasts, almost of their own volition it seemed, she could feel herself nearing yet another orgasm.

"Mmmhh yes … just … like that …" She mumbled wantonly as her hips bucked towards him to chase her pleasure.

Dazed as he was, he still didn't miss the tone of her voice. He brought one of his hands to her center and worked two fingers lazily in circles against her clit. It was all she needed and after only a few seconds, she fell into another, smaller and quieter but still delightful orgasm, her head falling back against his shoulder as she sighed breathlessly, her heartbeat picking up once more.

"God ... did you really just … a third time?" He breathed against her temple, a tone of delighted disbelief in his voice and she chuckled.

"Yeah … it's been a while and that was something really so ... but I … I didn't expect that …"

"Well I didn't expect the last half hour really …"

"More like fifteen minutes but … yeah …" She smiled, not meaning anything by it, just apparently incapable of not correcting people when they were wrong.

"Ouch!" He replied in mock offense.

"No I didn't mean anything … I mean that was … wow … obviously …"

"It's alright I know ... I noticed …" He cut her off, his voice slowly going back to normal. "I'm gonna …" He whispered against her skin, gently holding on to her hips as he pulled out of her. They both winced at the sensation and he pressed a soft kiss to her shoulder to make up for it. She was about to turn around and kiss him properly -however wild or angry the sex was, an orgasm … or three, apparently always made her cuddly and affectionate- but the moment he moved away from her, her legs buckled from under her. He did look slightly worried for a second but then realized why her legs had seemingly turned to jelly and grinned as he caught her immediately and looped his arm around her waist. As spent and sated as she was, she didn't have the strength to pretend she could walk on her own and after what they did, she really didn't mind being carried in his arms a bit. The smug smile on his face as he deposited her on the bed and looked at how pliant she was should have bothered her a bit but she supposed he was entitled to being more than a little bit smug considering how well he … well how well he fucked her, there really was no other word for it.

When she seemed to be settled comfortably, he excused himself to go to the bathroom and rid himself of the condom. She turned around just in time to see him take his shirt off over his head, giving her a perfect opportunity to admire the nice lean muscles of his back rolling under his skin as well as his very cute round and firm butt (at least it looked firm and she would obviously have to test that theory directly). She hadn't noticed it when they were at university and she cursed whoever put baggy jeans in style for men at the time.

When he came back a minute later, she was already starting to get sleepy and she vaguely heard him say that he was putting a glass of water on the bedside table for her before she felt the mattress dip when he joined her. Her sleepiness quickly started to recede though when she felt him hover over her a bit from where he was lying on his side and press a kiss to her collarbone. That was overwhelmingly sweet, especially compared to what they'd just done and she let out a pleased little hum. But just when she thought it was just a bit of post-orgasmic affection from him, he kissed her again, lower and lower, darting the tip of his tongue out teasingly until he reached the valley between her breasts and then directly captured her nipple between his lips.

"Fitz!" She moaned and she felt him smile against her skin before letting go of the one breast to start peppering the other with butterfly kisses. Jemma's heart beat was already starting to pick up once more and when his tongue started to circle her nipple again and his fingers trailed down her side, it became clear that post coital cuddling was not what he had in mind at the moment. Two things crossed HER mind though: first, that maybe they should talk about what all of this was and second, that what he already did with his hands and mouth was quite promising and that she kind of wanted to see how good he truly was. He was an engineer after all and it would be a waste if those long deftly fingers were only put to good use with fine machinery. Then his fingers reached her hip and he started tracing circles on her skin as he got closer to the apex of her thighs and she was pretty sure which one of those ideas would get her full attention first.

"Fitz?"

"Yes Jemma?" He replied in that annoyingly sexy low voice that only made the use of her given name even sexier. But before she could answer, he'd snaked his hand between her legs and was cupping her sex, his fingers softly caressing the sensitive skin there and she felt a wave of heat going through her whole body.

"Fitz what … are you … doing?" She barely managed to ask between breathless sighs, which she knew was ridiculous, she knew perfectly well where he was going, she was just surprised he wanted to do that now. Most men didn't bother with that kind of activities once they'd already had penetrative sex. And then he let two fingers dive between her folds, gently rubbing at her clit before going further. He teased the skin of her entrance maddeningly before going back to her clit all while his lips kept lavishing her breasts with attention. It was so deeply erotic with him pressed against her side, all warm skin and lean muscles as he was starting to grow hard again, that she stopped trying to remain in control. Whatever he had in mind she had a feeling it would be really good. She felt him chuckle against her skin again when she parted her legs further, encouraging the movement of his agile fingers. She was breathing heavily now, her toes curling as she reacted to his wandering lips on her chest and neck and she would have been perfectly fine with him taking her apart slowly from his languorous ministrations but he suddenly worked two fingers inside her, moving in and out a few times before finding her g-spot and she shouted in pleasure, her hips bucking of their own volition to take more of him inside.

He moved his mouth from where he was sucking on her nipple and claimed her lips once more, slipping his tongue into her mouth as easily as his fingers moved in and out of her slick heat. She bit his lower lip in a bid to regain a modicum of control over all of this and sucked it between her own to soothe it when he let out a tiny whimper.

"I didn't want you to think I was … this guy." He whispered breathlessly against her lips, apparently answering the question she'd already forgotten about. "You know … the kind that thinks two minutes of kissing and fondling qualifies as proper foreplay …" He explained, seeing that, in her lust induced state, she clearly didn't understand what he was on about, especially with how he'd replaced his mouth with his hand on her breast, massaging her with his warm palm in a way that was in the same time incredibly tender but also deeply erotic.

"Oh but that was rather …. mmh … that's not … I didn't think you were …" She tried to explain but with less and less conviction as he started kissing down the column of her throat, avoiding her breasts completely and going directly down her stomach, his fingers never stopping their torturously slow thrusting, leaving her panting every time he hit that sweet spot within her.

"Didn't catch that Simmons …" He said, removing his fingers from inside her, both his hands now on her thighs moving his fingers up and down in an incredibly delicate way that had her biting her cheek to stop herself from moaning. "Did you want me to stop?" He added as he used his hold on her to push her legs further apart. She realized what a picture she must look like from his perspective : completely bare before him, her legs wide open in invitation as he looked down at her with an almost predatory smile. When she didn't say a thing, he kept going, slowly kissing his way towards the apex of her thighs. All her muscles were tense in anticipation, her inside walls fluttering around nothing as she missed the presence and movement of his long fingers.

She was almost tempted to say yes and ask him to stop just because he was so annoyingly smug about it but she was pretty sure she was going to explode if he stopped now. So instead she decided to appeal to his competitive side. She'd used that a lot on him over the years and never thought she'd get to use it in that situation but since it usually kept him quite motivated, well …

"Actually …" She said, trying her best to control her voice and panting breath and failing completely. "I was about to say I was a little disappointed about such a lack of precision for such a brilliant engineer …" She finished, using all her self control not to buck her hips and let him see how impatient she was to have any part of him inside her again.

"Oh really?" He asked, grinning. They both knew he wasn't fooled by her attempt at making him believe that she wasn't already incredibly turned on and on the verge of yet another orgasm (the fourth one that night!). Because she'd always been a terrible liar and also, obviously, because he had his fingers inside her just a moment ago and he could feel how hot and dripping wet she was.

"Yeah actually …oh … OH GOD YES …" She cut herself off when he gave her folds a first tentative lick before going directly for her clit and sucking it between his lips. He remained where he was for a moment, pushing two fingers inside her once more and synchronizing the movement with the way he was circling his tongue around her clit. The double attack was almost too much, the sensation leaving her gasping for breath, but that was good, incredible even and even though she suspected her neglected sex drive had to do with it a bit, she didn't remember sex ever being this good and definitely never quite this thorough for a first time, and she still couldn't quite believe that this was real. She couldn't believe that it was Leo Fitz with his face between her legs taking her apart with such dexterity and enthusiasm. Of all people, it was the man she'd been fighting with for years, the boy who had so shyly and surprisingly invited her to dance on their last day as students under the pretext of parting in good terms, the boy who had kissed her so sweetly and passionately that same night before breaking her heart, the boy who'd been so squeamish about any kind of bodily fluid and had declared that he liked machines better than humans and that people were disgusting and ... oh god she didn't even understand what he was doing to her. Why didn't other men do that? Was he part of a very exclusive secret club where men learned how to give mind blowing cunnilingus?

As he pushed her legs further apart, opening her to him even more and pushing his tongue deeper into her heat, Jemma's last thought was that he'd taken, at least, quite a liking to anything that concerned female biology. He crooked his fingers once more against her g-spot and after a few seconds, she felt her walls contract and shivers all the way from her toes to her still over sensitive nipples and she couldn't hold back the deep low moan that pushed out of her as she came. Her back arched and her thighs quivered and she tried her best not to smother Fitz as they instinctively closed around his head. He didn't really seem worried though because he kept licking at her as his fingers slowly came to a stop until she went lax against the mattress, trying to catch her breath after one more incredible orgasm.

Jemma felt so dizzy with pleasure that she barely noticed Fitz moving up until he was hovering over her, kissing his way back to her mouth and capturing her lips in a deep slow kiss. She didn't even mind her own taste on his tongue as the kiss only heightened the feeling of complete bliss and satisfaction he'd given her. He molded himself against her then, bracing his arms on both sides of her face as not to crush her completely but letting the lower part of his body be cradled by her hips and still parted legs. His erection shouldn't have surprised her, he seemed so … enthusiastic as he went down on her that there was no reason he should have lost it but she felt so sleepy and sated that she kind of assumed that it would be it for the night. Fitz must have felt her mood too because he didn't try to move or press his cock any further. Instead he kept kissing her, her lips at first, soft and warm, his tongue barely grazing hers, then her jaw and her ear, burying his fingers into her hair to tilt her head the way he liked and get access to every part of her skin he wanted to map out with his tongue.

When he reached that sensitive spot on her collarbone, a small sigh escaped her mouth. Whatever state she was in, a kiss there would always make her shiver, but coupled with the tingling feeling of his short beard, it was really really nice. She felt him smile against her skin as he kept going, nipping at her pulse point then and she knew exactly what he was doing: trying to wake her up with kisses and caresses and get her ready and wanting for one more round. Strangely enough considering how sensitive her … neither regions were, she wasn't opposed to it. He'd already given her more orgasms in one hour than anyone else had in over a year and she thought she'd be fully satiated by now but she supposed it was like finding fresh water after going through the desert. After craving it so much, the body just couldn't get enough of it.

His hand drifted to her shoulder and all the way down to her wrist, slowly, the tips of his fingers barely grazing her skin and leaving goosebumps in their wake. When it felt like her whole upper body was covered in goosebumps, he moved to her hips and then her thighs, pulling her leg up so that he could also tease at the sensitive skin at the junction of her bum. God, he was so good at that. How did he get so good? He didn't date around much at Uni, she'd even suspected that she was his first kiss. But she supposed that things must have changed since then, he was handsome and even charming when he wanted to. Without their complicated history, lots of women wouldn't take so long to come to the same decision she's had when she first kissed him. Or maybe he was just a quick study. Or probably a deadly combination of both.

"So soft ..." He whispered in the sexiest breathiest voice against her ear as he kept petting her skin with the tip of her fingers.

The sensation made her hips jerk up of their own volition, her legs closing around his hips to pull him closer and his ministrations became bolder and more impatient. One of his hands descended on her breast, rolling her nipple between his fingers as he started gently rocking against her.

"Mmmh … you feel so nice …" He whispered as he bent over a little awkwardly to capture her other nipple between his lips. "… taste so nice … bloody work of art these are …" He rasped against her skin as he circled his tongue around the peak. She would have felt a little jealous about the compliments her boobs were getting from him if it didn't make her feel so good. She didn't know if it was the sensation on her skin or his accent that was thicker than ever but she never wanted him to stop.

Further down her body, the head of his cock was dragging against her extra sensitive folds and bumping against her clit as the soft movement of his whole body created a delightful friction everywhere that mattered. He was controlling himself but she could feel his heart hammering in his chest and his panting breath against her skin and she knew he was close to bursting, which sent a strange and overwhelming wave of affection for him straight to her heart. No one had made her feel so revered and desired and just so incredibly good in a long time, or maybe ever. Most men would have pressed for more, not wanting to wait any longer for their release after going down on her but Fitz didn't. After giving her so much pleasure, he still didn't try to speed things along to finally have his release. He was slowly and deliciously building up her arousal, waiting for her to finally match his own level of desperation. And for a moment, she allowed herself to bask in it, opening her legs wider and arching her back to encourage his movements. Something in the back of her mind reminded her that it wasn't like her to lie down like that and let a man take her apart again and again and dispose of her body the way Fitz did. But it felt so good and she was so sleepy, she couldn't bring herself to care. She'd regain control later, she promised herself, ride him and do all kinds of unspeakable things to him until he was the one crying out her name in ecstasy.

After another long moment of slow grinding and demanding caresses, Jemma did find herself desperate to have him inside again, her walls clenching around nothing and all her nerves endings on fire in anticipation of what was to come. She brought his face up then and kissed him languorously, slipping her tongue into his mouth and sucking and biting onto his bottom lip until he was whimpering, and only then did she release him. He was dazed and panting when she whispered "now" against his lips but his lust induced brain understood what it meant immediately. Moving slightly away from her, he extended his arm and grabbed one condom from what looked like a box full of it. Halfway through rolling it on himself, he noticed Jemma's amused grin and raised eyebrows and he blushed. He actually blushed with his hands on his erected penis as he sat between her open legs, her swollen cunt, the result of what he did to her, on display and waiting for him to ravish her once more.

"I know what it looks like but I swear I didn't plan this!" He blurted out and it only made her grin wider. "With you …" He added. "Or anyone else … My friend has somehow heard that people usually hook up like crazy at these things and thought that I could use to …"

"Get some of it yourself?" She finished for him.

"Something like that yeah …" He mumbled in a slightly grumpy way that felt way more familiar than this surprisingly smooth and skilled lover she'd just discovered in him.

"Well nothing wrong with being prepared …" She trailed off as her gaze was irresistibly attracted to his groin. Their first time had been so wild and quick that she didn't have a chance to get a good look at him and the visual only confirmed what she could feel when he was inside her. It's only when she looked back up at him that she realized he still hadn't moved and he was looking down at her with his mouth slightly ajar. Considering how well formed he was, she couldn't believe that no woman had ever looked at him with the same hunger he could surely see in her eyes. She used this moment of distraction to pull him to her until his body was flush against hers. She didn't lose a single second and grabbed his cock herself, placing it against her entrance and never losing eye contact, she grabbed his delightfully firm arse and pulled him closer. His eyes grew wide and he bit his lips to stop himself from moaning. She'd always loved that moment, loved watching her lovers lose themselves in the sensation of that first thrust. And Fitz had such beautifully expressive eyes that it heightened her pleasure even more.

"Mmmh…" She sighed as he easily entered her, her back arching again at the delightful intrusion, her legs falling further apart to take him deeper even.

"Christ you're gorgeous" He sighed against her neck. The praise brought a smile to her face and she kissed him again, long and sweet, until he ripped a moan from her throat as he started rocking his hips against hers.

This time, their lovemaking was slow and almost lazy as both their energy level was starting to run low, but no less pleasurable. With her eyes fluttering close from time to time, the whole thing felt like the most amazingly life-like wet dream she's ever had and despite Fitz's initial eagerness, it felt like it lasted for hours, his hips pushing in and out of her with languid, almost graceful movements that made her feel so good. She let her hands wander everywhere she could reach, feeling the nice muscles of his back roll under his skin as he writhed against her, making her feel as much as she saw how beautiful he actually was. But finally, with the steady friction of their bodies against one another and the deep kisses they kept trading, they both found themselves close to the edge. Jemma grabbed his arse again and pulled him closer as she hooked her legs higher on both sides of his torso and they both whimpered at the new deeper angle of penetration.

"Now" She sighed in his ear and he chuckled before hooking his arms behind her knees as he started pounding into her in earnest, his skin slapping against hers in a way she would have found comical if she wasn't so far gone already. Scrambling for purchase as the bed started rocking (where did the man find so much energy?) she found herself holding on to the headboard, moving her hips in counterpoint with his and finally, with his lips locked onto the side of her neck, he came hard. He groaned against her skin and his hands gripped her thighs in a way that would most likely leave marks as he kept thrusting deep and hard. But she couldn't care less as his release provoked her own orgasm, the intensity of it leaving her panting and chuckling in disbelief.

"Fucking hell ..." Fitz let out after a moment and when he had the courage to move slightly away to look down at her, their gaze met and they burst out laughing, sharing several more messy kisses as they did.

Sleep claimed her so soon after that she didn't even remember him moving out and away from her, the warm and lean form of his body making a perfect human blanket, the smell of him and the rythm of his heartbeat slowing down reassuring and incredibly soft.

Jemma woke up the next morning feeling exhausted, achy and sore but sated in the best possible ways. Even though she didn't remember it, they'd apparently switched positions during the night and she ended up half on top of Fitz with his arm around her shoulder in a rather sweet possessive way and her arm across his chest. For a fleeting moment, she looked down at him, his long lashes fluttering against his cheeks and a small smile playing on his lips that were still pink and swollen from their rough kisses, and she was tempted to kiss him awake. Of course, after knowing him all these years, she'd already noticed that he was really quite cute but now that he'd lost his baby fat and the lines of his face had become more defined, she realized how truly beautiful he was. Maybe it was her insistent gaze or maybe he was just close to waking up anyway but soon she could feel his fingers twitching where they rested on her arm and finally his eyes fluttered open. He looked up at her with the softest sleepy smile for a moment but then the clouds dissipated behind the window and a ray of sunshine hit his face just right. His blue eyes stood out so much at that moment it was like they were actually shining and Jemma couldn't help a small gasp. Honestly, she felt ridiculous reacting like this but really, the only thing missing was a choir of angels or maybe someone playing the harp, but it was enough to break the moment that might have taken that whole thing they had to a completely different direction from the start.

After that and in the light of day, it was all awkward smiles and nervous laughter as they went about the room hunting for their clothes. Apparently, ten years of fighting and tension and confusing interactions couldn't be solved by one night of sex, even one as fantastic as they had. In the end, they agreed that it was just special circumstances that lead them there, that it's been a nice way to work the tensions between them but that it was just one night and hopefully, that would make them more civil to each other the next time they cross paths. And intellectually speaking, Jemma agreed with all that. Plus, they lived in different cities and were both really busy, it wouldn't make sense to try and turn this into something else, something more when it simply wasn't doable. Still, as she left his room and he gave her the most supremely awkward handshake, something twisted in her stomach while a small but persistent voice in her mind screamed at her that they were doing it all wrong.

 **Back to** _ **San Francisco annual BioTech conference, February 2018**_

"Oh Fitz I'm not a science fiction writer, I'm working on actual concrete projects, what would I do with your "night night gun" honestly? I mean look at it ..." Jemma sighed for what had to be the fifteenth time in ten minutes. He was so brilliant but sometimes she thought he might have a little too much imagination.

"It's just a rough sketch Simmons!" He cried out. The way he kept switching from her last name like he'd been doing for years to her given name like he did, almost unconsciously it seemed, during more intimate moments - the sex of course but also those strange moments in between- didn't help the confusion she felt every time she was in his presence. "It doesn't have to look like this, I mean it'd look bloody cool like this but I guess I could make it look more like a normal gun and then ..."

"Fitz I told you, we make drugs and prosthetics, we try to help and cure people, not hurt them and ..."

"Ho you think I want to hurt people? That's really all you got from what I told you?" He cut her off, hurt evident in his eyes and she immediately regretted her words.

She had her own personal reasons to resent him she supposed but she knew he wasn't a bad person and actually, especially in the past year, she'd come to know him better and realize that he actually had a big heart and a touching vulnerability she didn't often have the chance to witness. In the darkness of these big impersonal hotel rooms, they'd shared more things about one another than in all the years they've been in each other's life one way or the other and that was how her feelings had slowly changed from pure sexual passion to something that was also more tender and that she was afraid to put into words.

"No Fitz that's not what I meant, it's just that we don't deal in those kinds of ..."

"Because it could actually save lives if all armed forces carried these instead of real guns with real lethal bullets you know!"

"I know, come on can we just ..." She started but he cut her off again, too fixated on what he thought was the meaning of her words to actually hear what she was trying to say.

"I like to FIX things Simmons, not try to make people murder each other and I thought you ..."

"FITZ STOP!" She cried out, loud enough to make a few people turn around to give them a curious glance, but at least it had the intended effect and Fitz was left a little wide eyed as it was so rare for her to shout. Sure, she'd lost her patience with him more times than they could count but she had a special talent for sounding snappish and utterly irritated all while looking perfectly calm to a casual observer. "Can't you just listen to me for a minute? I know you're a good person and you wouldn't create something evil or whatever you think I meant, we just don't make weaponry, lethal or not, at SciTech, that's all!"

"Oh ..." Was all he could say and his slightly sheepish look made him look so cute it made her feel mad. Once more, she'd thought this night could be a little different, that the tender affectionate gestures they sometime shared could be pre-sex instead of post-coital and that foreplay could be actual foreplay instead of shouting at each other until the pressure became too strong and they fell into bed. But things were just like the other times and it was his fault and she was tired of it and he had no right to look at her with those eyes and make her want to hug him and kiss his worries away and tell him it was alright like they'd only just had a lover's quarrel when that was not what their relationship was supposed to be about. She didn't even think there was a proper way to describe what they were to each other.

"Listen ..." She said, straightening up in her armchair as she let out a loud sigh. "That's not how I envisioned tonight would go and I just don't ... I think I'm going to turn up for the night Fitz." She added and stood up for good.

"Oh ... oh alright ..." He said, obviously disappointed and clearly confused as to why she was really leaving.

Turning around, she could still feel his eyes on her. His annoyingly soft blue eyes that had the power to make her melt into a puddle of lust and make her want to swoon at the cuteness of him. She barely took a few steps forward and sighed, rolling her eyes at her own weakness.

"So ... are you coming or what?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry it took me so long but my defense it's a pretty long chapter once more :D Hope you enjoy :)**  
 **Next one isn't written yet but it should be shorter so hopefully won't take me quite as long to write :)**

Fitz wasn't relaxing. She had him pinned to the wall, mouthing at his pulse point in a way that usually left him delightfully speechless and panting, and instead he was still rambling.

"I know I overreacted but I ... mmmh ... I didn't mean to ruin the mood ..."

Was he trying to apologize? That was definitely new. Usually, when he realized he was wrong, he found a way to distract her so he wouldn't have to really acknowledge it (usually a rather delightful one now that they were whatever they were). And while she appreciated this new development and would definitely go back to the conversation later, now she was in the mood for something else.

Fitz was skimming his fingers down her sides under her blouse in that achingly soft way he always did without really thinking about it. Muscle memory really was a beautiful thing. But it usually was after they had sex, when he was feeling more tender and their thirst for pleasure and each other had been quenched. The feeling was delightful and always appreciated but despite the burgeoning hardness she could feel against her pelvis, Fitz apparently had trouble getting out of his head.

"That's alright Fitz, really ..." She whispered in his ear before capturing his earlobe between her lips. The sensation made him gasp loudly and she took this opportunity to start unbuttoning his shirt. Moving to his mouth, she skimmed her tongue over his lower lip and was rewarded with a low groan just before he kissed her harder, deepening the kiss as he pulled her closer. She smiled into the kiss as she felt his hardening cock press against her groin and allowed herself to enjoy the sensation, knowing now that things would progress her way sooner or later anyway. They did such incredibly dirty things to each other -things she thought were reserved for ridiculously unrealistic porn books or movies- that she sometimes forgot what an amazing kisser Fitz was, always using his hands to heighten the feeling of the fantastic things he did with his lips and tongue. He'd just pulled on the elastic of her tight ponytail and was now threading his hands into her hair, loosening her slight curls and massaging her scalp the way he'd probably seen her do more than once, and she moaned in pleasure and contentment, thinking she was finally having his full attention.

Her hands had drifted down to his waist, about to undo his belt after finally having opened his shirt completely, when he broke the kiss.

"But really I don't want us to fight all the time, it was nice before and I wish we could ... we could ..."

"Fitz, do you want to stop?" She cut him off, completely breathless. She thought she might die of frustration if he actually said yes but she didn't want to force him to do anything. She didn't want to be the kind of woman who thought all men were always good to go when it came to sex. If he wanted to talk, if he had something to say that couldn't wait another minute, she'd listen to him and, considering the few clear words he'd managed to let out already, it might even lead to something good. "We can hu ... we can ..."

His hands were still in her hair, idly tracing patterns on the back of her head and neck and it was making it hard to focus on words.

"No no no no no!" He cut her off, pulling her body flush to him, making his arousal pretty obvious to her once more. "I can wait … I just ... you know ..." He whispered against her lips. "I hu ... always have trouble getting something out of my head once it's stuck there ..." he added with an apologetic shrug.

Well. She certainly knew of one way to get him out of his head.

"Well that's good then 'cause it would have been a shame if I wore that awful contraption all afternoon for nothing!" She grinned and he looked at her in mild confusion.

"What do you ..." He started before she started unbuttoning her blouse, and then he understood. Slowly sliding each button through its hole, she never broke eye contact. Fitz seemed frozen, his pupils going wider and wider as more skin and more lace were revealed. She could never do the whole strip tease thing for any of her boyfriends before, she'd tried a few times but always ended up a giggling mess as she felt too weird and ridiculous to continue. That look on Fitz's face though ... that was something else. It was making her feel sexier, bolder and more revered than she ever felt before.

When she was done with the buttons of her blouse, she pushed it off her shoulders, finally revealing the deep purple bra that's been torturing her all day. She had to admit the pattern of the lace was gorgeous and the shape of it was giving her boobs a volume she never knew they could ever have without her getting pregnant or gaining a significant amount of weight. In addition to that, the thing didn't really cover a lot, her hard nipples pointing through the fabric, which also meant she'd spent all day looking down at her cleavage in fear that they'd show through her blouse whenever it got a little colder or that one of her boobs would just jump out if she moved too much.

"Christ Jemma ..." was all Fitz could say as his gaze couldn't seem to fixate on either her breasts or the predatory smile she wore on her face. That was, until she reached for the zipper of her skirt and pushed it down her legs, revealing the matching barely there knickers and the pair of stay up stockings that made her hesitate between feeling sexy and naughty all day and worried that the damn things wouldn't actually stay up.

Now, as Fitz groaned, actually groaned, at the sight, she decided it's all been worth it. He took her hand in his softly and before she could wonder what he had in mind, he pulled it up and made her twirl. She giggled at the ridiculousness and adorableness of the gesture, turning around once more to make sure he really had a good look at it. Because once it'd be off, she would never wear it again. (She'd propably burn it just to be sure if the damn thing didn't cost more than her whole outfit)

Landing into his arms, she let him capture her lips, slipping his tongue desperately between her lips and mapping out her mouth with a passion that left her breathless. Still, she didn't forget what she had in mind and went back to undoing his belt, the button and zip of his trousers following soon, giving her more room to grab his hard cock, giving it a tentative rub then adding more pressure as she felt him surge into her small hand.

"Jemma ..." he moaned into her neck where he'd started biting and kissing the skin there equally hungrily in that way he knew turned her on and always made her want to do very dirty things to him. Which she was already planning on doing anyway. "God you're so ... so ... I can't believe you're ...this ... with me, I'm so ..."

He was obviously trying to pay her some kind of compliment but the words were coming out completely jumbled. She found it strangely endearing the way he could get completely overwhelmed when she did something surprising or new. Especially since it was quite a big contrast with the confident way he acted on stage during his presentations or even with her the rest of the time. She liked that she was probably one of the only people privy to that side of him that made him just that much more interesting to her.

And as it was, she knew exactly the way to stop the stuttering of his brain by making it blissfully blank. Well, there were actually several ways to achieve that same goal but she'd actually been fantasizing about something very specific for weeks, especially since she'd bought that lingerie set, knowing that it would most likely blow his brains out. It even had her grinning and blushing every time she stumbled upon it in her underwear drawer.

Pushing slightly away from him and letting go of his cock, she grinned at the pathetic little whimper he let out. Then, looking directly into his eyes once more, she slowly sank to her knees.

"Jemma?" He let out, his tone at the same time questioning and hopeful but she didn't answer. Instead, she grabbed his trousers and boxer briefs and pulled them down slowly until his cock was free from its constraint, sticking out thick, red and very hard, just like she wanted him. Still not taking her eyes off his, she gave one first slow lick from base to head that had him shivering all over, and her grinning widely, before she lowered her mouth and took him all in. Her hands moved from his hips to his deliciously firm bum and she moved her head up again, making a show of sucking him slowly, finishing with a swirl of her tongue against the head, and he released a harsh breath, his head falling back against the wall in reaction to the pleasure she was giving him. She kept it slow at first, bobbing her head up and down, trying to take more of him every time and greatly enjoying the way he whimpered when he hit the back of her mouth. She'd never loved giving oral sex before. When she was younger, she did it first out of curiosity and then, at best, it's been fun, making her feel a little naughty if not actually turned on. She didn't do it often and most of the time it was either to reciprocate when she'd been given oral sex or when she wanted to be given oral sex in return. With Fitz, like everything else, it was different. Maybe because theirs was supposed to be a relationship based on sex only or maybe because, ironically, in bed they've been understanding each other perfectly from the moment they first kissed. With him, she wasn't scared of being judged for what she wanted and really liked and Fitz being quite imaginative, she'd discovered a lot about herself. It's even been quite a revelation. For instance, she'd discovered that she quite liked sex to be rough once in a while, liked him to take her hard and fast against a wall as much as she loved the way he could literally spend hours taking her apart in the most tender and sensual way. And although she'd always seen herself as dominant in bed and still felt like it, she also didn't mind letting Fitz have the upper hand and surprise her, or even the occasional slap on the butt he gave her teasingly and that had a lot more effect on her than he intended. And for someone who, quoting Fitz, liked rules more than life itself, she'd also learned that semi-public sex and the risk of being discovered actually gave her quite a thrill. That discovery came along with discovering that for the first time in her life, there were moments where she literally couldn't keep her hands off him. And when it came to giving him blow jobs, it was like he reacted to it more like a woman than like all the men she ever knew and it was incredibly rewarding. He felt that pleasure from his head to his toes and all his body was reacting to it. Goosebumps formed on his skin, all his muscles tensed and he made the most indecent noises that sent wave after wave of heat directly to her center. And if he got so adorably cuddly and affectionate afterwards that it melted her heart, well …

At some point, she felt his bum tensing and she knew he was trying to stop himself from thrusting into her mouth as he got closer to his release, his hand gently curved behind her neck, mostly in a need for more physical contact rather than to control her movements. But as it was, she wouldn't mind him losing control a bit -or actually giving him more depending on the perpective- she actually liked to feel the force of his desire for her and she truly wanted him to enjoy himself as much as she did when he went down on her. So she stopped moving her head for a moment, humming around his cock as she used the grip she had on his butt to pull him closer and deeper into her mouth, hoping he would get the message.

His hand stilled in her hair and he groaned something unintelligible that would have made her giggle if her mouth wasn't quite so full. Then he started thrusting into her mouth slowly, as not to overwhelm her and his breathing became ever louder. His head was no longer resting against the wall and he was looking at her with a hunger that was almost scary in its intensity. Once she picked up on his rythm, she started bobbing her head up and down again, increasing the succion of her lips and she felt him twitch immediately.

"Jemma ..." He breathed out as his hand went to the back of her head again, making a mess of her hair, while the other cupped her cheek in the softest gesture anyone's ever had towards her while she was sucking him off. It was all so good and erotic, she couldn't help moaning around his cock as she wondered if she could actually come from the touch of his hands and the thickness and heat of him against her tongue.

But before she could test her theory, Fitz's thrusts started to get faster.

"God I'm so-so ..." He croaked but she knew what he was trying to say already from the way his cock kept twitching. So she tried to losen her jaw to suck a bit more of him inside as he humped her face without much restraint now. Wetness was gathering even more between her legs at the force of his lust made itself more and more evident. He was groaning each time he hit the back of her mouth and she could feel how close he ...

His hips finally stilled and as she bobbed her head up and down once, twice more, his whole body tensed and a second later, he was spilling down her throat with a shout of ecstasy that must have been heard at least three rooms away and made her feel wickedly proud of herself. She kept moving for a moment, making sure his orgasm lasted as long as possible, and only when it felt like he was completely spent did she release his softening cock.

She just had the time to quickly wipe her mouth with the back of her hand before he sank to his knees and engulfed her in a tight embrace that had her laughing out loud in delight.

"Fuck Jemma … I can't believe you're real sometimes …" He breathed against her ear as he softly caressed her back. She felt like he was leaning on her as much as he was holding her and it made her grin widely once more, feeling quite proud of having turned his legs to jelly like he did to her so often. "Looking like this and not letting me touch you but then doing … this …". Aww, she recognized him well, doing all kinds of dirty things to her and with her but incapable of saying the words. Pulling back slightly, he cupped her cheeks with both hands, looking into her eyes with such intensity that it made her want to look away and never look anywhere else at the same time, and then he kissed her softly, taking the time to let the kiss grow deeper at its own pace and it was in moments like this, in between all the sex and bickering, that she felt like he, too, felt more than they were supposed to be, and that it would only take a little courage to finally talk about what they were to each other now.

Once strength had apparently returned to his legs, Fitz broke their embrace and stood up, pulling his boxers and trousers back up as he did and immediately offered his hand to help Jemma up.

"So …" She said, trailing her hand down his bare torso. "Do you believe me now when I tell you I don't think you're a bad person? Do you think I would suck you off like that if I thought you were some kind of potential super vilain?" She asked, grinning at the way he blushed at the use of her words, and he pretended to think for a moment before encircling her waist and pulling her closer as he grinned down at her.

"Yeah … probably not!"

"Good!"

"Although …"

"What Fitz?" She asked, rolling her eyes.

"I could be a really good super vilain if I wanted to …"

"Oh please Fitz …"

"I'm a genius engineer, imagine all the terrible things I could do …"

"No I'm sorry Fitz, no one has ever seen a super vilain with a Scottish accent, it's just too … nice" She shrugged and he raised an amused eyebrow at her.

"Well I can do a very convincing American accent anyway …"

"And you'd need a big black moustache too, which wouldn't be a good look on you and anyway, your facial hair is kinda reddish when it grows out!" She finished with a triumphant smile, feeling way too proud for winning such a ridiculous argument.

"Oh … so that's your final say on it? I just don't have what it takes to be bad?"

"Yep!" She grinned.

"Alright then …" He said, pulling back from her with a strange gleam in his eyes.

"Fitz?" She asked, but before she had the time to say anything else, he was upon her, one arm catching her around her back and the other behind her knees as he lifted her up. "Fiiiitz" She squeaked in surprise, fake outrage and quite a lot of delight. "Fitz, what are you doing?" She insisted when he started carrying her bridal style towards the large bed in the middle of her room.

"God, they really don't want you to leave, do they?" He exclaimed with a whistle when he gave a look around. The place was larger than her own apartment in New York with large bay windows giving them a breathtaking view over the city and a bed that was probably almost as big as her whole dorm room in college.

Depositing her gently on the bed, he followed her on his hands and knees, hovering over her with a predatory smile on his face. "Fitz?" She repeated once more.

"I"m gonna have to show you how very wicked I can be …" He said in what was, she had to admit, quite a convincing American accent, and she chuckled nervously as it sent shivers of anticipation down her spine.

"Alright then … do your worst …" She answered, raising a defiant eyebrow at him.

-0-0-0-

"Oh yes yes YES" Jemma cried out as Fitz palmed her arse to accompany the swaying of her hips. He'd been caressing her stocking covered thighs with an enthusiasm that had her grinning even though she never really understood what was so special about it but she was getting closer to climax now and he knew what to do to to help her get there. The flicking of his tongue against her clit suddenly became quicker and more insistent. Needing something to give herself more leverage, she laid her palms flat against the wall as she kept on riding his mouth. Her head was bowed back in pleasure and it's only when he started to hum against her sensitive nub that she looked down and met his eyes. His usually sky blue eyes were completely darkened by desire and the simple sight would have been enough to make her come, which is why it took her so long to realize what HE was looking at precisely. The position and the rocking of her hips was giving him an especially nice view of her lace clad breasts. She grinned remembering all the times he complimented her breasts and all the time he would spend just caressing them and kissing them and licking them even when it didn't lead to something more. Fitz was most definitely a boob's man and even though he seemed to really appreciate the lingerie, she decided to give him what he clearly wanted. Straightening up a bit, she reached behind her back and popped her bra open. It felt so good to be free of that awful torture device that shivers ran down her spine and she sighed in delight.

Not even giving it much thought, she brought her hands to her sides and then to the underside of her boobs to gently rub the parts where the bra had left marks on her skin, exactly like she would do at home after wearing one of her less comfortable bras all day. It's only when she felt Fitz's fingers dig deeper into the skin of her ass and his tongue move deeper into her heat that she realized the effect it must have on him. So she kept going, making a bit of a show of slowing massaging the skin and plucking at her hard nipples, wishing it was his hands on her instead but enjoying the feeling nonetheless. She started swaying her hips faster again as he lapped at her folds with renewed enthusiasm. She could feel her toes curling and goosebumps forming up her legs and, announcing an especially strong orgasm. She just needed a little bit ...

"More!" She asked almost pleadingly, desperately, feeling like she needed just one more push but not knowing what exactly. Fitz helped her rock her hips faster against his mouth as he sucked on her clit with utterly pornographic slurping noises and it's only when she gasped, holding her breath for the wave of her climax she could feel approaching that he let go of her arse and slapped one hand back on her left cheek, repeating the motion once, twice more when she squealed in pleasure. The blow was light, not leaving a single mark on her pale skin but it was unexpected and kinky enough to finally make her topple over the edge, her orgasm crashing over her hard as she fell forward, catching herself on the wall.

"Oh God Fitz yes!" She shouted in ecstasy as she felt the muscles of her stomach and thighs clench in time with her inside walls as wave after wave of pleasure passed over her. Every one of them was just a little less strong than the previous one but still completely incredible, the intensity of it almost too much for her body to bear. But finally, after what felt like forever, her vision became clear again and she got back to her senses. Realizing she was still straddling his face, she made what seemed like an inhuman effort, lifted one leg over him and let herself fall gracelessly on her back next to Fitz.

"Sorry …" She breathed out almost shyly. "Didn't mean to smother you like that, it's just it was really …"

"I'll live …" He replied, rolling on his side to look at her, trailing his hand over her chest and stomach and, from the small smile playing at his lips, clearly enjoying the way it made her shiver all over, her skin still deliciously sensitive from her orgasm. Sometimes it felt like he enjoyed taking her apart even more than he enjoyed his own orgasms, which was saying something really.

"Okay you win …" She let out after a time, rolling around to face him and look him in the eyes with a wide and slightly mischievous smile on her face.

"Uh?"

"You can be a super vilain or an evil scientist or whatever you want if that's how you plan on convincing me every time …" She replied and he burst out laughing, a bright uninhibited happy laugh that made her heart swell in her chest and made her want to kiss him and burry her face in the crook of his neck to breathe him in. God she'd missed him. She'd last seen him six weeks ago in London and she'd been missing him terribly and it made her wonder how much longer she could go on without telling him that.

"Brilliant!" He grinned and beat her to her own idea, pressing his lips to hers softly before pulling her into his chest, his arm tightly wrapped around her shoulder as he sighed contentedly.

"So ..." He started after a moment of companionable silence. "Did you wear ... these for me?" He asked, nodding towards the offending garments they'd thrown haphazardly on the ground next to the bed.

"These old things? Nah! I just didn't have anything else to wear!" She replied, affecting a casual tone and he chuckled.

"Well ... if I knew you had this on under your clothes, I would have dragged you here the moment you came off stage."

"Oh yeah? And what makes you think I would have followed?" She replied, looking at him from under her lashes.

"Considering you're usually the one dragging me ... places, I think my chances are good ..." He grinned.

"Cheeky!" She quipped but still somehow blushing at one specific memory of a time she'd been a little too impatient to be with him and dragged him into a supply closet only a few meters away from the room she was supposed to be giving her speech fifteen minutes later. But she was positive he'd been the one who started it and she would never say otherwise.

Before she even had the time to raise her hand to swatt his chest, he caught it midway and brought it to his lips instead. He kissed first one knuckle and never breaking eye contact, he kissed them all one after the other delicately before bringing her hand back on his chest just above his heart. He smiled at her then and it was just as achingly sweet and tender as his gesture, without a hint of mischief, just pure sincerity.

Jemma felt the words stuck in her throat just fighting to come out as she was becoming mesmerized by the erratic beating of his heart contrasting with the apparent peacefulness of his features. Did he put her hand there on purpose? Was it his way of showing rather than telling how he felt about her?

"Well …"He started almost shyly, trailing his hand down her hip towards the only piece of her scandalous attire still on her skin. "Wether it was for my benefit or not …" She could see the tiny smirk on the corner of his lips, because of course it was for him and he knew it. "I really REALLY appreciate it …" He trailed off.

"Yeah? Well then I guess it's all been worth it then." She grinned, moving one leg until it was hooked over his for emphasis. She had to admit they did look make her legs look nice.

"Mmmhmm …" He nodded before bringing his other hand to her cheek and pressing his lips to hers. It was tender and a little lazy and she didn't miss the way his heart started beating a little faster under her hand. They were both smiling happily when they pulled apart. "This cannot be comfy though?" He asked, playfully making the elastic of her stocking pop and she giggled.

"Actually those aren't so bad" She replied, looking down at her legs. "But that bra, I'm pretty sure it's been designed by someone who hates women and wants to see them suffer!"

Fitz burst out laughing, his head falling back against the pillow until he looked down again and realized the way she was (not very convincingly) glaring at him. "Sorry …" He said with a sheepish smile before pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Well although I obviously think you looked fantastic in those, I absolutely encourage you not to wear any if it's more comfortable to you."

"Of course you would!" She replied, rolling her eyes and he grinned a little wider. "Or you know I have some free time these days, I could put all my engineering skills at work and create the perfect bra for you!"

"Oh would you really?" She asked, knowing it was a joke but wondering if he could actually do it. With proper motivation, she was pretty sure he could. And he'd make a fortune with it nonetheless.

"Oh yeah … of course I would need to borrow those …" He said, affecting a casual tone as he moved his hand back up to cup her breast delicately. "… for science purposes of course …"

"Ugh Fitz! Sometimes I think you're this man with an exceptional mind I can have pretty amazing conversations with and then you just remind me you're also quite a basic man …" She said, swatting his chest for good this time and although what she said was quite true, she didn't really mind it that much. And she couldn't blame him really, she never found someone who was so stimulating on both an intellectual and physical level. If only they could stop bickering and start communicating a little bit more on what their relationship was, what they had could become something beautiful.

"Exceptional mind?" He repeated with a grin.

"Of course Fitz! I'm not gonna pretend you're not one of the smartest persons I know but is that really all you took from this?" She asked with a raised eyebrow, not knowing if she should be annoyed or amused.

"Yeah no … sorry" He let out with a sheepish smile, letting go of her breast with a sigh. "But you really are awfully tempting like that though …" He added as he extricated himself from under her, letting her gently fall back into the pillows. She watched him curiously as he sat up next to her over the covers, totally unashamed in his nudity, which was a nice change really. Despite what they were doing together, it had taken him several encounters for him to stop shying away from her gaze when he was fully naked. She had to admit it was kind of cute to see him blush like that, especially since there was nothing to be ashamed of. He was still quite lean but not skinny like he used to be and his upper chest and arms were nicely defined and she'd come to find the freckles on his shoulders to be rather endearing. But she liked it even better that he seemed to trust her and himself enough not to put clothes back on the moment they were done having sex.

"So speaking of beautiful brains …" He started as he reached up, took one of her legs and pulled it onto his lap, proceeding to slowly pull off her stocking.

"Fitz?" She asked, a little confused as to what the start of his sentence had to do with what he was doing.

"Can't make that comfy bra for you right now but I can make sure you're as comfortable and relaxed as possible when we're together." He replied with the softest expression on his face as he grabbed her other leg and pulled off her other stocking. The touch of his hands on her skin was equally soft and she realized that it was one more of those hundreds of little things she missed when she was alone in her bed at night and that made her heart ache every time they parted as if there really was only sex between them. Before she had the time to take her legs off his lap, he'd started massaging one foot and she couldn't refrain the soft pleasured moan she let out at the sinful sensation of his fingers and thumbs expertly working the tensions there after having spent hours wearing high heels.

He smiled even wider at her reaction before going back to his previous sentence.

"So speaking of beautiful brains, I really want you to know that I didn't mean to sound negative about your dendrotoxine …"

"Fitz I told you it's alright …"

"I know I know I believe you" He cut her off, his voice gentle as he let his hands move up to her calf and she sighed softly. Maybe she wouldn't throw away the lingerie after all if it made him give her such a delicious and thorough massage every time. "And I fully understand that what I was talking about isn't something that's doable at SciTech but I really meant it when I said it's revolutionary and it's just … I can't stop thinking about it and all the things I could create to multiply its applications. It's just how my mind works, you know how it's like, right?" He asked, turning an hopeful look towards her.

She recognized this look on his face because she wore it so often herself. It was the look she had whenever she explained one of her projects or even simply something she read about and hoped people would see what she saw in it. See how brilliant it was and all the amazing potential it had. And she supposed it was one of the reasons her brain had always been attracted to Fitz's over the years despite their complicated relationship.

"Yeah …yeah I know" She said with a soft smile, feeling her heart flutter a bit at his praise, knowing that it really meant something coming from him. "Wait but that means you'd have to be working with me, you know that right?" She added with a raised eyebrow, surprisingly not feeling completely reluctant at the idea. The few times they did back in uni had been really productive but really quite tense and exhausting to say the least.

"I don't know ... I mean nothing's felt so exciting in quite some time so I guess … yes?" He replied tentatively. "But it's not like you'd want to anyway, I remember the few things you called me back then so ..."

"Well strangely enough I think I would ..." She cut him off and his eyes shot up in surprise, making her smile shyly. "It's not always been easy but it feels like we found a way to work together pretty well these past months …" She trailed off, looking down at his hands working their magic on her foot and he chuckled.

"Well yeah but I don't think THIS would be acceptable in a lab. I do recall that we have the same standards when it comes to lab safety at least."

"I know!" She said, teasingly poking his stomach with her toe. "I was just thinking … maybe we could expand our communication skills in bed to other areas someday …" She said, hoping he would get the deeper meaning in her sentence. She liked where this conversation was going and she hoped she was actually able to use those skills to tell him everything she'd been wanting to say for some time now. But once more the words seemed to remain stuck in her throat, all her fears, insecurities and confusing memories forcing her to stay quiet about what was more important.

"Yeah yeah … that'd be really nice." He said, his fingers coming to an almost complete stop on her skin as if his thoughts were keeping him too distracted. "Well who knows maybe SciTech will collaborate with MaxIndustries someday and you'll get to regret what you just said …" He said with a small grin. She knew he was most likely joking but she'd already seen that slightly self-deprecative side of him. It made her understand him better. What she'd always taken as arrogance or aggressiveness was in fact mostly a lack of self confidence. That was why she had to repeat some things over and over again for him to finally believe it, especially when she complimented him wether it was on his intelligence or physical appearance.

"Oh no I don't think I would …" She replied and his smiled softened.

Bending forward a bit, he pressed a light kiss to her ankle and then a few other ones as he went up her calf. It was kind of a strange thing to do and his beard was tickling her sensitive skin and it was so sweet that she just couldn't help giggling happily.

"So no exciting new project for you?" She asked, only now realizing what he'd said a few minutes earlier. She thought he was happy at MaxIndustries, after the big success his drones had been, she could only imagine how he'd probably been given responsibility for the most important new projects.

"Yeah no, not exactly …" He sighed. "I mean I'm not complaining, I love those drones, they were my idea from the start and I love that it's used to prevent a lot of people from getting in danger but hum … it's been almost a year now and I've barely had the time to develop anything else. They keep asking me for updates and new functions that I don't … I mean I didn't even have the beginning of a project to present here this year …"

"Oh yeah, I was disappointed not to see tour name on the program this time, didn't even know if you'd come …" She replied, realizing only afterwards what her words really meant and her heart skipped a beat. Her stomach twisted uncomfortably in frustration and longing, or maybe even sadness, because she wished she could openly tell him that she would have missed him if he didn't come this time, without having to fear he'd think it was too much and push her away. She wanted to embrace him and kiss him and tell him she missed him when they first saw each other after a long time and never again pretend to be casual acquaintances.

She saw the beginning of a teasing smile on his face, one of their default settings with each other, along with annoyance, anger and now lust, but it soon transformed into something different, something much softer and tender, almost ... knowing.

"Ah no ... wouldn't want to miss all of this ..." He finally said. Then deliciously putting a little pressure on her foot with his thumbs for the last time, he let go off her legs and she barely had the time to whine before he came back next to her again. He lied down on his back and, almost tentatively, he reached around her shoulder and pulled her until she was resting on her side, her arm draped over his chest and leg over his thigh.

He was so warm and smelt so nice she couldn't help sighing in contentment when he ran his fingers along her bare arm.

"Yeah ..." He whispered, an answer to her silent affirmation. "This is really nice ..."

Those weren't the exact words she wanted to hear but for now, they would do.

-0-0-0-

They remained like that for a long time : in each other's arms, talking about all the ideas Fitz didn't have the time to develop these days and all the uses he could imagine for her dendrotoxine. And even though Jemma did roll her eyes a few times, the conversation was incredibly nice and, as always, stimulating. Maybe it was their combined state of post orgasmic bliss or half admitted fondness for each other, but Jemma only felt interest, admiration and amusement rise inside her and she thought her jaw might end up hurting in the morning with the way she couldn't keep the smile off her face.

It was possibly hours before the conversation started to slow down, their voice becoming lower and their words slurring from the exhaustion of the day and their previous activity. But when Jemma felt like they could easily fall asleep during the next break in conversation, something started shifting once more. Fitz's unconscious caresses up and down her back suddenly seemed to have more intent. It was like his conscious brain going into sleep mode made his more primal instincts kick in. Not that there was anything primal in the way he touched her. It was as delicate as if he was petting a cat and it probably was what made her stretch against his side. All her limbs tensed in a way that made him chuckle softly and when they relaxed, she snuggled to him even more possessively, her lips ghosting his pulse point, one arm still slung across his chest and one leg hooked higher across his hips.

"Oh hi …" She grinned softly as she felt the evidence that his body was definitely awake against her thigh. He groaned in response and pulled her closer, making her giggle and, maybe just a little, bringing her nipples to attention as they deliciously pressed against his side and chest. "To what do I owe the honor?" She asked and this time he chuckled.

"That was a really stimulating conversation …" He replied and she burst out laughing, well as much as someone can really burst out laughing in such a sleepy state.

"Hey! I'm serious you know!" He said with an affronted tone as he cupped her cheek to make her look up at him and she raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "What? Does it really come as a surprise that your brilliant brain is a turn on to me?" He added and her stomach did a little flip at what was probably the best compliment anyone ever given her while in bed.

Not knowing what to respond to that, she used her hand on his chest to push herself up and bring her lips upon his. He responded to it immediately, his hands slipping into her mussed up hair as his tongue softly grazed her lips, reigniting the fire in her without really giving her what she wanted. Mmmh, he definitely knew how to use that brilliant brain of his to turn her on as well. Without even realizing it, she'd started grinding her hips against his side, needing friction to release the ache growing between her legs.

"Jemma …" He breathed against her lips. "You know we don't have to …"

She cut him off, slipping her tongue inside his mouth this time, keening in pleasure.

"If you're too tired …"

His hand descended down her back until he could palm her arse. The tips of his fingers grazed the fine skin at the inside of her thighs and she sighed.

"… I'll just take care of it myself …"

The image combined with his impossibly deep voice sent a bolt of heat straight to her center. This relationship-affair-whatever it was that she had with Fitz for a year now sometimes made her feel like she was catching up on those years where she should have been horny and experimenting with sex and was instead too busy getting her PHDs. Except that from the conversations she's had with several of her friends, what she had with Fitz was even better because they both had quite a bit more experience and technique now. Still, it always made her roll her eyes at herself when she got so affected by something as ordinary as imagining Fitz masturbating.

"Mmmh yeah … would be a real hardship … to have sex with you now ..." She whispered in his ear as she let her hands go down to his stomach, gently grazing the skin with her nails, leaving a trail of pebbled skin in their wake. She could feel his abdominal muscles contract and she smiled fondly. "But I suppose I could be convinced …"

"Do you really?" He rasped against her neck.

God she loved it when he was like that. All sleepy and horny at the same time. With his voice impossibly low and rough, his eyes half lidded and his lean graceful body on display, he was the embodiment of decadence, straight out of one those erotic paintings from the 19th century. She was almost tempted to pleasure him with nothing but her hand, just so she'd be able to watch all the stages of ecstasy play out on his face, but as good as it's been earlier, she'd missed being close to him there was an ache between her legs that needed that connection, that needed to be filled and nothing but his cock would do.

So as she captured his lips again, she let the leg already across his hip slide all the way to the other side and pushed herself up until she was straddling his hips, his hard length pressing against her folds. They both moaned in synchrony at the delightful sensation. She couldn't believe how quickly she went from sleepy to so completely aroused but she really was. So, without waiting another second, she reached for his hardness, placed it against her entrance and slowly, easily, slid down on him.

"Jemma" He breathed out in pleasure, his hips thrusting up of their own volition. She started riding him then, lifting her hips up and down slowly at first to get used to the way he always filled her so perfectly. His hands came to grab her rear and she started lifting her hips further until only the tip of him remained inside and then she'd go down slowly to take the time to enjoy the slide of him deep inside her every time she came down on him.

The way he was looking up at her with such lust and awe was intoxicating, almost too intense, and when he started thrusting up again, her eyes closed of their own volition. The intensity of the sensations in her body and the feelings in her heart and mind threatening to pour over the surface made her almost dizzy and she let her hands fall back behind her on his thighs. Of course, that did nothing put out the fire in her as the new angle made his cock hit her g-spot on every up stroke. Their bodies were rocking against each other, tearing moan after moan from her throat and she could feel her orgasm approaching.

"Jemma …" He cried out almost desperately as he let his hands go up to her breasts, but not able to caress them properly with the way her body was angled backward. "Jemma I need … I …" he tried to say but he couldn't seem to get the words out, seemingly too overwhelmed by the sensations their bodies crashing against each other were creating. So he let out a loud grunt of frustration, let go of her breasts and pushed himself up. The sudden movement brought him deeper inside her and she squealed in pleasure and surprise before being engulfed in his embrace, his lips capturing hers in a heated kiss.

"Fitz!" She cried out when their lips parted, the fierceness of his desire making her giggle and moan at the same time. She couldn't move quite as much in that position so she started rocking and rolling her hips and the contact of his chest against her hardened nipples more than made up for the lack of movements.

Fitz wasn't idle either. he buried his hands in her hair and moved his lips towards her neck, kissing and nipping and caressing her skin with a tenderness that threatened to melt her heart as much as it kept the fire going inside her.

"I've missed this so much ..." He whispered against her skin. "I want you so much, I need you closer-God I ..."

She was used to him telling her how gorgeous and sexy she was and how much he desired her and if it usually made her want to do all kinds of scandalous things with him (especially with that gravelly low voice he sometimes used) and gave her quite the ego boost, she wasn't used to him expressing these kinds of feelings and it made her heart beat even faster if it was possible. She'd noticed how possessive he could be when she woke up trapped in his arms or when he glared at other young attractive men when he thought she wasn't looking. But she'd always figured it was some kind of primal male possessiveness and even though it did make her smile several times, she never dreamed it could be more than that. But now, his words and the way he held her and looked at her, it felt different, almost romantic and …

"I've missed you so much … I wish we …"

His voice died down, his eyes going wide as he realized the words that just came out of his mouth. So before he had the time to regret them or take them back, thinking they weren't welcome, she softly pulled his face to hers with her hands on his cheeks and kissed him. Softly, tenderly as she tried to pour everything she felt for him in it.

"I've missed you too …" She whispered against his lips when they broke apart, her face still too close to his to really see his reaction and maybe it was better that way.

And then, she started moving again and they got lost in it. Maybe it was this little pause or the change in position but Jemma liked to believe it was the words they exchanged that made things even more intense after that. His mouth latched onto her nipple and her hands threading through his hair, they writhed against each other for a few more minutes, closer than she ever thought possible while still moving and finally, she felt the telltale sign of an incoming orgasm, starting in her toes, moving up her legs until it exploded from her center, crying out his name for everyone to hear. She suspected their little affair wasn't exactly a secret anymore anyway, at least to the usual crowd she met at pretty much every conference around the world. They hadn't been really discreet about it, especially these past few times and now, she didn't think she wanted to anyway.

Fitz held her through it, kissed and caressed her skin passionately to prolong her pleasure and when she felt like it would never stop, like she couldn't feel more ecstasy, he thrusted up a few times and as she felt him pulse inside her through his own release, another wave of pleasure washed over her. The unexpectedness of it made her lose balance and as Fitz was still gasping from his own pleasure, they both toppled backwards on the bed in a graceless mess of limbs and sweat slick skin. Jemma looked up and when their eyes met, she could see the same mirth and simple happiness she felt reflected in his gaze and they burst out laughing, high on endorphines, pleasure and one another.

Giving him one last sloppy kiss, she slowly slid off him and let him cradle her against his chest. She knew that she should stand up and go wash up a bit and then finally have that talk with him. After all, it seemed that her feelings were not completely unreciprocated and now was the best opportunity she'd been given since that thing started between them. But she didn't know if it was the late hour, the exertion of their lovemaking or simply the delightfully warm feeling of his body against hers, but she found herself slipping into sleep before she was even able to utter a single coherent sentence.

And as her mind was already starting to drift towards dreamland, she heard a few mumbled words coming out of his already sleepy form.

"…. you …"

"Fitz?" She asked softly but his mind had already drifted it seemed. His hold on her shoulder tightened though and he pulled her closer into his chest, a soft smile playing on his lips. Sighing, she pressed a kiss to his collarbone and like that she was asleep.

-0-0-0-

Jemma woke up a few hours (too few hours!) later to a cold and empty bed. As the memories from the previous night came back to her, her stomach tightened uneasily. Did he really leave her without even a word? Not willing to discuss what he'd said to her in the heat of the moment. Or did she dream that last part and their relationship, whatever it was, would remain unchanged? But before her brain had the time to go through more depressing scenarios, the door to the bathroom opened to a cloud of sweet smelling mist and Fitz walking out of it with only a towel around his waist.

"Hey, you're up!" He said with a bright and slightly shy smile when he noticed she was looking at him from where she was still laying on her side on the bed. "I have an early plane and you looked so peaceful sleeping I didn't want to wake you … but I'm glad you are now …" He added as a way of an explanation for waking up so insanely early especially since the talks of the day didn't start for another four hours.

Coming to seat next to her on the bed, he pressed a soft kiss to her shoulder and the softness of the gesture did a good job dissolving the rest of that uneasy feeling in her stomach.

"Oh … so you're not staying for the rest of the conference?" She asked, her voice still sleepy and he chuckled as he scratched his neck in that gesture that she knew meant embarrassment most of the time.

"Mmmh no … big meeting at work early tomorrow but I … I couldn't miss yesterday's talks …" He replied.

Oh.

"Oh is that so?" She asked, trying her best to dial down the huge smile that threatened to split her face in two.

"Yeah … so I was thinking" He started before looking up, taking a deep breath and then looking back down at her. "Maybe you and I we could hum … I mean if you wanted ... see each other and talk and …"

"You mean as opposed to what we're doing right now?" She asked, teasing and slightly confused but still smiling widely at how endearingly awkward he could get sometimes.

"No I …" He started, looking up again as if asking for help to some higher power she knew he didn't believe in. "I mean something we actually agree upon beforehand and maybe there'd be dinner or a movie or-or anything else you'd like and if it happens to be in Boston, you could even come to my place and …"

"Fitz?" She stopped him before he started to feel obligated to describe every little thing they could do together. She straightened up in bed, for some reason feeling the need to pull the covers up over her breasts as she did, and took his hand. "Do you mean that you want us to go on a date?" She asked, those damn butterflies in her stomach making her heart beat incredibly fast.

"I mean that I really like that thing we have but also I like ... you and for some time now I've been wanting more so hu ... yeah ... what do you think?" He finished.

The hand that wasn't holding hers was fidgeting nervously with the hem his towel and her tenderness for him was threatening to overwhelm her completely. So she grabbed that hand and brought it with the other close to her face. She pressed a few kisses there before looking back up at him.

"I think I'd really like to see you somewhere that has real sunlight!" She finally said and a wide happy relieved smile bloomed on his face. "And see how we fare outside of these bloody conferences!"

"Really?" He asked, his voice full of hope.

"Really ... I mean we live a few hours away from each other and we're both really busy but I ... I wanna try. I want to give ourselves aooomph ..."

Her words were cut short by Fitz pulling her into a kiss. She almost pushed him back, not wanting him to smell what was probably her awful morning breath but he tasted all fresh and minty and yet he didn't seem to care so she decided that she wouldn't either. She melted into him, their lips dancing across each other's delicately as his hand came to rest in her hair, tilting her head to deepen the kiss.

"Brilliant ..." He breathed out as they broke the kiss and she couldn't help giggling at how childishly enthusiastic that sounded.

"So ... how do we hum ... proceed? " He asked, whincing at his own choice of word. "I mean ... should we find a date or ..."

"Fitz!" She cut him off with an amused grin, wondering when was the last time he asked somebody out on a date. He was lucky he was this cute because smoothness definitely wasn't his strong suit. "I know for a fact that the next two weeks will be hectic and even after that I can't say for sure ..."

She could see the disappointment clearly on his face and she wanted to hug him. And kick herself for missing the signs that he too wanted more.

"... but I know I don't want to go so many weeks without talking to you ..." She said, biting her lip nervously, waiting for him to react and seeing only tenderness in his eyes.

"... so how about we exchange phone numbers so we can talk or text or whatever and the moment we both have some free time, we plan something? And even if it's at the next conference then be it. But we can make it up by skipping a few talks to go out together. In the sunlight."

"Wow!" He grinned.

"What?"

"Nothing just ...you really must have it bad if you're willing to miss a few talks for me." He replied, waggling his eyebrows exaggeratedly.

"Ugh Fitz!" She sighed, falling back into the pillows.

"Sorry … sorry!" He said, grinning in a way that didn't look apologetic at all. "I think it'd be a really good start … well more like a new beginning or something but yeah …"

Using her hold on his hand, she pulled him to her and into another kiss. Even with the prospect of regular conversations, she knew she wouldn't get to see him for at least two or three weeks and she wanted to get the best of the time they had left before he left for the airport. She quickly deepened the kiss, making him whimper softly, and with her arms around his chest, pulled him closer until she could feel his whole weight on top of hers and his body react. She opened her legs and welcomed him in the cradle of her legs as she easily pulled his towel away. She knew she must come out pretty horny right but she couldn't bring herself to care when he smelt so nice and his butt felt so firm under her hands. Only when his hand came up to cup her breasts and roll her nipple into a hard peak did she release his lips and moved to capture his earlobe between her lips.

"How-how long … before … before you have to leave for the airport?" She whispered breathlessly into his ear.

"Not long enough" He sighed.

And with that he moved up and away from her and she whined, actually whined, at the loss of contact.

"Sorry …" He said, moving to press one last kiss to her pouting lips. "I should already be outside, trying to catch a cab and I still have to go back to my room to grab my stuff."

"Alright then" She said, rolling her eyes good-naturedly. "Go get dressed then, don't know how long I can control myself if you keep walking around like that …" She said in a exaggeratedly hushed voice as she gave his now fully naked body a very obvious once over.

"Vixen!" He replied, glaring very unconvincingly before standing up to go hunting for his clothes scattered all around the bed.

"Here" He said, grabbing his phone on the nightstand and giving it to her. "Do you mind adding your contact in my phone while I finish getting dressed? And send yourself a text so you can have mine, yeah."

"Sure" Jemma grinned as she took his phone.

-0-0-0-

Three minutes later, Jemma found herself in her room's hallway, feeling like a movie star as she gave Fitz one last kiss (a very romantic one if she said so herself) wearing nothing but bedsheet as a toga.

"I'll talk to you soon then …" He said, letting go of her lips with an adorable sigh.

"Yes … I'm looking forward to it." She replied with a soft smile.

And with one last kiss and a hug, Fitz was out the door. As she walked back into her room, Jemma heard that he'd started running down the hall and it warmed her heart. He must have really waited for the last moment to leave her. Crossing the room, she pulled the sheet more snuggly around her shoulders and sat on the small couch by the window overlooking the street. Barely three minutes later, she saw Fitz's tiny silhouette running out of the hotel's entrance and grinned. She knew she should feel guilty for making him run like that and risk missing his plane but she couldn't help feeling a little giddy about how ridiculously romantic it all was.

Fortunately, he managed to hail a cab rather quickly and with the traffic not looking so bad at this time of day, she was confident he'd get to the airport on time. Sighing, she stood up, left the sheet on her bed and walked towards the bathroom. She could have used a few more hours in bed but with her head buzzing with everything that's happened since the previous night, there was no way she'd be able to find sleep again. Just as she was opening the door, another buzz sounded, this time coming from her phone.

Taking it from the nightstand, she grinned when she saw the text message coming from Fitz. It just said "Jemma" followed by at least ten exclamation points.

So he'd finally looked at his phone and saw the picture she used for herself in his contact list.

She could picture the exact shade of red he must have turned to as he saw the picture on his phone, seating in the back of a cab and probably looking all around him to make sure no one else could see it. Smiling mischievously, she just sent him back an innocent "Yes Fitz?" and entered the bathroom. She was going to like that new side of their relationship.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter count has gone up (should be 9 instead of 8 now) which is going to mean slightly shorter chapters, which will hopefully mean more frequent updates as well! Hope you enjoy this new chapter :-)**

 _ **Oxford Graduation party, June 2011**_

"Champagne?"

Lost in thought as she was, Jemma jumped a little and turned around to make sure that it was actually Leo Fitz walking towards her, looking admittedly really handsome in his tuxedo, with what looked like two glasses of champagne.

She raised a suspicious eyebrow at him and he chuckled.

"I swear I didn't poison it, see?" He said, grinning, as he drank a gulp from one of the glasses and she rolled her eyes at him good-naturedly. She'd been feeling strangely nostalgic all evening but she didn't think that Fitz being mildly smug and annoying would be one of the many things she thought she would miss.

"It's not that … we're not supposed to drink alcohol, Fitz!" She admonished and it was his turn to roll his eyes at her.

"Oh come on Simmons, we'll both be eighteen in a few months and we both finished top of our class, we deserve it! Are you telling me you've never even had a beer?" He asked, leaning against the handrail of the small balcony where she was currently … getting some fresh air. He looked so confident tonight, what was happening to him? Was it the tuxedo giving him an ego boost? Did he fancy himself as James Bond or something?

"Of course no!"

"Well then, all the more reasons to have that glass of champagne now! This is much more meaningful than to have it on your birthday or something … A whole new life is waiting for us, new experiences and all that …"

He had a very devilish gleam in his eyes and a grin she wanted to wipe off his face and she was tempted to tell him that peer pressure really was an awful thing and that she loved following the rules but … he was right, today was much more meaningful than the anniversary of the day she was born eighteen years ago and it deserved to be properly celebrated. Sighing, she hesitated for a second then took a glass from him. His smile turned a little triumphant but also quite warm and genuine and she couldn't help reciprocating it.

"To us and to never have to listen to professor Vaughn again" He declared as he lifted his glass and she grinned wider.

"To us!" She replied, clinking her glass against his before they both drank. The taste was more bitter than she'd imagined but it was also a little sweet and the bubbles felt nice as they passed down her throat, as well as the warm feeling in her esophagus and belly that came after. It was going to take some getting used to but she thought she was definitely going to like champagne.

"So?" He asked, once she put her glass down after a few gulps.

"That's … nice … yeah really nice … thank you"

"You're welcome" He smiled. "So … who are you hiding from in here?"

"I'm not hiding, I'm getting some fresh air!" She protested, maybe a little too vigorously from the way he quirked his eyebrow in disbelief. "What? It was pretty hot in there!"

"Simmons, I remember you wearing two sweaters one over the other in the lab while I was only wearing a single shirt. I'm wearing a shirt and a jacket and I wasn't feeling hot at all in there … also you're shivering …" He said, softly trailing his fingers over her bare forearm for a second. And she supposed it was a good thing she was actually already shivering from the cool night air because she couldn't have him noticing that his touch sent another whole host of shivers up her spine. She blamed the alcohol for going to her head and making her skin extra sensitive.

"Fine!" She admitted. "I'm hiding from Professor Vaughn …" She half whispered and he burst out laughing. She joined him only a second later and they remained like that for a moment, like the two carefree teenagers they were supposed to be, free from all the expectations of their professors, family and peers even for just a few stolen moments. In the back of her mind, Jemma couldn't help wondering what was happening. For the past few years, they'd been fighting and bickering every chance they had of working together, unable to have a conversation without having it end up in a screaming match. But it just felt too nice at the moment and if it really was the alcohol having that effect on them, then she decided she was really going to like champagne.

When the laughter finally died down, Fitz downed the rest of his cup easily (she suspected that HE didn't wait for that special occasion to try some), straightened up and letting out a deep breath, he extended his hand to her.

"Dance with me" He said, his voice an improbable mix of confidence, hope and, thankfully, a little awkwardness that gave her confirmation that it was still Leo Fitz, supposed arch enemy, and not some weird smooth robot version of himself.

She felt her eyes go wide and a little blush attack her cheeks as he looked into her eyes without faltering.

"Fitz?" Was all she could reply but he seemed to understand exactly what she meant.

"I know we've been fighting for the better part of three years but I don't know … I still think it's been fun so I thought it'd be nice to bury the hatchet and part as … well at least not enemies … what do you think?"

His expression was soft and tentative and sincere and she found it alarmingly endearing.

"But … we can barely hear the music from here …" She protested weakly all while already starting to lean towards him.

"It's slow dancing Simmons, it's just swaying from side to side, you don't really need music for that … unless you'd rather we go back there and risk having professor Vaughn asking for the next dance …" He added, wriggling his eyebrows exaggeratedly and she made a disgusted grimace that made him smile triumphantly, knowing he'd definitely won the argument this time.

Downing her glass as well, she put it on the handrail next to his and accepted his offered hand. He pulled her towards the center of the balcony and let go of her hand to tentatively rest his hands on her hips while staying as further away from her as he could. She had to bite her lip to stop herself from smiling at how kind of adorable it was that he was so exaggeratedly respectful of her personal space. But that was dancing and the point of it was to step into the other's space a bit. So she took a step forward, placed her hands on his shoulders and started swaying. She thought she could hear his breath catch as she did but after a moment, he finally relaxed, swaying in tandem with her as the grip he had on her hips became more assured, the warmth of his palms permeating through the thin fabric of her dress a delicious sensation in contrast with the chill air of the night. After the first moments of awkwardness, they fell into conversation easily. It was teasing at times and certainly passionate but never unnerving and overall incredibly pleasant. Maybe it was the alcohol having its effect, making them both more relaxed, the context of the evening meaning that they could finally stop being so competitive. Or maybe the champagne was merely an excuse because the more they kept talking, the more Jemma came to realize that, out of all the people she'd spent time with during her years at Oxford, Fitz was the one she was going to miss the most. Not her roommate, not the few people she'd spent time with during class, not the boy who'd been her first real boyfriend for three extremely boring weeks, it was Fitz. Fitz who pushed her towards even more excellence, who managed to make her challenge her own beliefs and who, despite being her rival, had also always truly treated her as an equal. And maybe, she was getting a little emotional because everything was going to change, but it remained true nonetheless.

So that was how one dance turned into two then three then four until Jemma stopped counting and being in his arms became strangely natural and comfortable. She started noticing new things about him as well. Like how he'd gained a few inches on her since they first met but her heels tonight brought her to an height with him and gave her the perfect angle to notice how, even under the, admittedly very romantic, dim light of the stars and full moon, his blue eyes shone brighter than anyone's she's ever met. But it's only when she had the startling realization that this very specific smell that was a mix of soap, soldering iron and sugar she'd always found appealing and associated with her lab was actually his, that she finally noticed that the conversation had died down between them. Was it because he'd noticed her noticing those things about him or because he's gotten lost in his own thoughts, she didn't know. What she knew was that, when she focused back on his face, his eyes were a little wider than usual and she could feel the loud beating of his heart through their clothes where their chest had definitely gotten closer than they were a moment ago.

"Jemma?" He asked, his voice softer than she ever heard it and that along with the use of her given name for the first time ever was what finally did it.

They leaned in towards each other and finally closed their eyes in synchrony as their lips made contact. The kiss was so sweet and careful and a little bit awkward that for a moment she wondered if it was his first. They'd been really young when they first came to Oxford and she certainly didn't know him to have had a girlfriend since then so that was a real possibility. But that thought quickly flew away when of his hands moved to the small of her back pulling her in closer as the other slid up her back, grazing the skin bared by her low cut dress and ending up in her hair. She let out a tiny sigh of contentment and that was enough to give him more assurance. His lips started gliding over hers with more intensity, parting the tiniest bit to trap her full upper lip between his and she just couldn't believe how incredibly nice it felt. The taste of champagne was even better on his lips and if she wasn't certain before, she could definitely feel it going to her head now.

He tried to pull back after a minute or so but Jemma whimpered slightly and, sliding her hands from his shoulders to his neck, she pulled him back in and he let out a pleased little chuckle before diving back in. The kiss gained in intensity much faster this time, heat gathering between them as their lips touched and parted and crashed back together. Wanting, needing more, Jemma licked the seam of his lips and just as their tongues finally met and he slanted her mouth open to deepen the kiss, his grip on her waist became a little more insistant and he gently walked her back against the railing. But she could feel his restraint, not wanting to crowd her with too much unwanted attention, his hips and hands remaining at a safe distance a stark contrast to the utter passion with which he was kissing her. But however crazy this all was and how sweet it was of him, she didn't feel any hesitation at all. So she pushed her own body flush against his and he actually groaned into her mouth before engulfing her further into his embrace and she moaned at how deliciously warm and surprisingly firm he was against her. It was without a doubt the best, most exciting, arousing kiss she's ever had in her life. Granted, she hadn't kissed many people before but neither Liam back at home, nor Milton had given her the desire to go further than that. And even James, whom she'd dated for three weeks, didn't make her want more than a good snog and a bit of (mostly disappointing) petting. But that kiss was something else, finally making her understand what everyone was talking about and feeling like her adolescent hormones were finally catching up on her. She wanted to let her hands wander over and under his clothes, wanted to pull his hips closer and discover if she had the same effect on him that he had on her, wanted to wrap her leg around his calf and … god, above all, she wished he wasn't so well behaved himself because she didn't know if she had it in her to take the initiative.

They remained that way for what felt at the same time like hours and not nearly long enough. Entwined into each other, their kisses were at times passionate, making heat gather low in her belly like it never did before and at times soft, light presses of lips against lips as they panted like they just went for a run but never separating completely. Maybe because, just like her, he wasn't ready to face her and whatever this all meant, and, at least on her part, definitely because it was just too good. Still, when she felt like they reached a point where they either had to stop for good or stop momentarily to find somewhere more private to go further, she put her hand on his chest and after one last peck on the lips, gently pulled away, smiling at the pitiful little whimper he let out as she did.

She kept her forehead against his for a moment, catching her breath and gathering her thoughts as she noticed his smell again now that her other senses weren't so overwhelmed anymore.

"Fitz …" She started, bringing her hand to his cheek and he looked up at her. He seemed just as dazed as she probably was and not just a little disheveled. His hair was a bit of a mess where she threaded her hands in it and, obviously she could take a little initiative because his shirt was almost completely untucked from his pants and she supposed she should have been feeling a little sheepish about it but he looked so damn delicious like that she couldn't help feeling a little proud of herself. After all, he'd been the one mentioning new experiences and all that.

"Fitz I …"

"Jemma? Has someone seen Jemma Simmons?" Someone asked, from just outside their balcony it seemed and she startled, extricating herself from him and, in his dazed state, it took him a moment to realize what she was doing. But then he was stepping back, trying to put some order back into his hair and clothes just as she tried to do the same, although she was decidedly less disheveled than she wished to be.

"Oh it's probably Linda, she said she wanted us to have a nice picture of all the girls from our dorm, I better go before the photographer leaves …"

"Oh … yeah of course …" He replied, looking a little disappointed. But she wanted to get over this quickly and then maybe she'd be able to slip out unnoticed, or well, hopefully, THEY'd be able to.

"But I will see you later, yeah?"

"Yeah … yeah of course ..."

And with a small wave and a smile, she was leaving him behind and slipping out of the balcony.

 _ **Back to San Francisco annual BioTech conference, February 2018**_

Jemma was suddenly pulled out of her thoughts by the room around her exploding into very polite and mildly enthusiastic applause. And that's when she realized she hadn't heard a thing from the last half hour of professor Vaughn's lecture. On the one hand, she felt a little guilty for daydreaming about her … potential boyfriend? lover? (she supposed that was one of the many things they still had to talk about) but on the other hand, that man had been incredibly consistently boring since they had to follow his class at Oxford. The only thing that usually helped her stay awake and actually listen to him back then was to imagine a whole experiment protocole to study every one of his lectures (wave length and volume of his voice, body language, colors used on his graphs, etc …) and find out an objective explanation to his incredible dullness.

Looking and noticing several people with glazed eyes and a few others actually yawning like they'd just woken up from a nice little nap, she supposed she couldn't really be blamed if the mention of the man's name at the beginning of the lecture hadn't retained her interest and instead triggered that memory of drinking to never have to listen to the man and everything that came before and after that specific moment. She thought of it more often than she liked to admit over the years, wishing she just let Linda wait and instead remained on that balcony with Fitz. She'd been quite confused then but if only she'd taken the time to tell him how much she liked their kisses and wanted it to happen again, maybe things would have gone differently. Not to mention that this memory had long remained the most erotic memory of her young life. Of course since then, she's had more experienced kisses and started having sex and been given orgasms and, objectively, lived more erotic moments with some of her boyfriends. And although she realized that from a grown woman's perspective, as eroticism goes, it was really quite sweet and tame after all, that moment would still always hold a special place in her heart because that was when she first realized she might have fallen for him. And then last year happened and Fitz easily made its way back to the top in terms of eroticism. And then there was the next time and every time after that and as he managed to beat his own record over and over again and in between all the bickering, she fell for him all over again.

Just like he'd read her mind, her phone buzzed in her pocket and she smiled when she pulled it up and saw his name pop up on the screen.

[Fitz: So how was professor Vaughn's lecture? Interesting as always?]

She could picture his teasing little smirk, and on top of that, he was probably already at home, comfortably seated on some big fluffy couch while she sat there in this overheated room on the world's least comfortable chair. God … now she wished she could be there too, snuggled up to his side, watching that documentary about the amazon they talked about, trading kisses and soft touches as they did. Sighing, she decided that she definitely couldn't tell him that. He'd turned her into a huge sap and even though it felt nice to be like and to know he felt at least partly the same, it felt like it was also way too soon to become all lovey dovey with each other, not until they had a chance to have a proper conversation about their feelings and relationship.

[Jemma: I'll have you know it was the most interesting lecture of the conference.]

[Jemma: Game changing]

[Jemma: Revolutionary]

[Fitz: Oh really? I'm so terribly sad I missed it!]

[Jemma: I'm sure he is too. Maybe I should give him your phone number so you can both talk about it together …]

Fitz was even more terrible than she was at faking interest in something he wasn't interested in. She'd seen his eyes get all glassy more than once during the cocktail parties sometimes held at the beginning of those conferences. She'd even pitied him once or twice and came to his rescue with a barely believable excuse and she couldn't help grinning as she imagined his reaction if professor Vaughn did end up calling him.

[Fitz: You wouldn't dare!]

[Jemma: Can you really be sure of that?]

Of course she wouldn't do it but just because they might be becoming something else, something that might be really nice, didn't mean she couldn't keep teasing him like she'd done for years.

[Fitz: You can't, it's against the rules. Last strike was yours Jemma, remember.]

[Jemma: That was unintentional and you know it!]

[Fitz: Still counts!]

[Jemma: Well maybe I should ask professor Vaughn his opinion about it?]

[Fitz: Ugh you're the worst!] Jemma couldn't help giggling at his childish retort. Funny how the same sentence in a different context could make her react so differently.

[Jemma: Are you starting to regret giving me your phone number already?]

[Fitz: I could never regret that Jemma. I'm really happy this morning happened …]

Awwww. That was absolutely adorable and making her heart flutter and ... she had no idea how to answer that. Should she just say "me too", which was the truth, or was she allowed to say more? Could she tell him she was missing him already or was it too cheesy or too soon? They'd told each other as much the previous night but it had been weeks since they saw each other then and it's only just been hours. Sighing, Jemma wished things were as simple and clear as it was when she was seventeen, when kissing Fitz for half an hour on a balcony was enough for her to realize she'd fallen for him and when she thought that if she decided to ever have sex with him, that would mean they were a couple. Period. She wondered what seventeen years old self would think of this whole "not-really-friends with amazing benefits and also some confusing feelings" situation. She'd probably shake her head in disapproval but then again, seventeen years old self never had mind-blowing angry sex with Fitz and thought it would be a good idea to cut her own bangs so … she couldn't really be considered the best judge when it came to decision making.

 _ **Milan innovation in science and technology conference, April 2017**_

Even though images clear enough to make her blush had flashed in her brain when she saw Fitz's name on the Milan conference program, Jemma was rather confident about herself and the fact that nothing would happen this time. It felt like they'd explored that unresolved sexual tension between them at lengths and now they could go back to simply being old classmates having friendly conversations when they met at conferences a few times a year. And she was now quite convinced that the uneasy feeling in her stomach when she left his room that morning was only caused by her hormones trying to force very inconvenient feelings on her.

So it was with her usual easy confidence that she walked into the welcome cocktail party held, as always, in one of the luxurious reception rooms on the top floor of the hotel. But before she's even had the time to go to the buffet and get something to eat -she was starving after having missed lunch- John Garrett from Hydra Corps fell upon her like a hyena on its prey. He'd been trying to recrute her for over a year and although she made it quite clear that she wasn't interested in the shady kind of research they were doing there, he still insisted every time. It took her half an hour of not laughing at his jokes, clearly dismissing his work and glaring at him every time his disgusting eyes fell into her slightly less modest than usual cleavage, to get rid of him. He used the excuse of seeing someone he wanted to talk to and she was only too happy to leave him there and make a bee line for the buffet. She engulfed three canapés immediately before putting a few other ones on a small plate and grabbed a well deserved glass of champagne from one of the waiter's trays before moving to stand in a corner where she hoped she would be left alone for at least a few minutes.

Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, she looked back up and gasped, actually gasped, when she saw him across the room. Fitz had always looked handsome in a suit, this kind of clothes very flattering to his lean frame, but this one was all black, very nicely fitted with a matching black tie, and with the glass of champagne he was holding in one hand he would have looked like a young James Bond if it wasn't for the very bored and slightly uncomfortable expression on his face. It changed when their eyes met though. She was pretty sure she could see his adam's apple bob when his eyes traveled all the way from her face to her bare legs and back up, his pupils now definitely more dilated than before. All ideas of having put that old sexual tension out of the way flew from her mind as a too familiar heat suffused her body and she chastised herself. She was a biologist after all, she knew how hormones worked. Here was this man who gave her several excellent orgasms two months ago, no one but herself had given her any since then so, of course, she was going to react exactly like that. How she managed to almost completely convince herself was beyond her comprehension and that left her wondering if she should be proud of her own force of persuasion or disappointed by how gullible she could be.

Not wanting to look like a fish out of water for longer than necessary, she brought her glass to her lips … and proceeded to pour half of it down her chin and into her cleavage.

"Oh crap!" She mumbled to herself. "Talk about being smooth"

Fortunately the buffet was still close and she grabbed a napkin to clean it up, congratulating herself for choosing to wear a dark blue dress so the bit of champagne that went down wouldn't stain and wouldn't even leave a wet spot on it. On the other side of the room, she could hear Fitz coughing and was pretty sure he was laughing his ass off at her clumsiness. But when she dared looking back up, ready to glare at him, he still looked distinctively uncomfortable but from the slight blush on his cheeks and still dilated pupils, it wasn't for the same reason as before. And that's when she realized that, although it didn't really feel smooth to her, she'd just spent the last minute petting her chest and the top of her breasts to get rid of the champagne that might have gotten there. Her own eyes went wider at the realization and without really thinking it through, she brought one hand into her hair with the slim excuse of checking her updo before slowly letting it fall back, her fingers softly grazing the skin bared by the reasonably low cut of her dress, then going between her breasts before letting it fall to her side.

Trapped into an apparently boring conversation with two men she didn't recognize since they had their back to her, he had to bite his lip not to react more noticeably and a devilish grin tugged at her lips despite herself. Another rush of heat hit her low in her belly and she weighed her options. She couldn't possibly be smooth enough to go there and find an excuse to cut through the conversation. She couldn't wait there indefinitely with the risk of some other boring man coming to talk to her so she did the first thing that came to her mind at the moment: she walked purposefully out of the room and towards the hallway leading to the bathroom, not even looking back to gauge his reaction. She walked past the bathroom, turned a corner, hoping to find some empty room, some miraculously unlocked and unsupervised cloak room (in movies, there was always one), and instead found herself in a dead end.

"Crap!" She mumbled to herself once more.

All she could see was an emergency exit apparently leading to a small balcony and, she supposed, emergency stairs, and a very ugly non figurative painting on the wall right next to it. For lack of a better option and as she wondered what she was supposed to do next, she took a few steps towards the painting, affecting to be interested in it. What was even the purpose of displaying it here where there was nothing but the emergency exit? Were people running for their lives towards the exit as they escaped a fire supposed to stop and admire the beauty of it? Or was it actually only there so that the people who ended up there for some strange reason had something to make them feel less ridiculous?

Fortunately she didn't have much time to think on it because she soon heard footsteps coming her way and, before she's had the time to make up an excuse for her presence, she recognized Fitz in the corner of her field of vision as he turned the corner. It felt like he was behind her in a second, his arms tentatively circling her waist at first and then more assuredly as she let her body fall back against his completely. Neither of them said a word as one of his hands moved up, his fingers trailing across her stomach and between her breasts until it reached bare skin and ended up behind her neck, following the path of her own hand a minute earlier. She sighed and all her skin seemed to react to his touch, shivers ran down her spine all the way to her toes and she could feel her nipples pebble through her dress, the crisp air of the night filtering through the emergency exit door having little to do with it. He let his hand fall back to her waist then and in a firm but still gentle motion, pulled her back against him. She moaned in surprise and arousal as the half hard line of his cock pressed against her bum. The fact that she could so easily affect him made her head swim with slightly egotistic desire and before she had the time to think of what to do next, he'd grabbed her hand and was leading her towards the emergency exit. It wasn't lost on her that this felt definitely less romantic than the last time they'd been on a balcony together with a view over a dark deserted back alley instead of Oxford's beautiful park lit with fairy lights for the occasion. And the way he backed her against the railing was definitely less gentle but with his hands palming her butt and his tongue plundering her mouth like she'd been craving for weeks, she was certainly not going to complain.

Jemma rolled her hips to feel his erection again and he groaned into her mouth. God, he was almost fully hard now. One of his hands descended on her thigh and he pulled her leg up to hook it around his hip, leaving him free to grind against her aching center and she moaned out loud at the delicious friction. She hooked her arms behind his neck and they kept moving like that for a moment. It was just as rough and inelegant as their first time but still so good that they just couldn't help themselves, too absorbed in each other to think of anything else. They quickly reached fever pitch though and Jemma needed more. She felt like he could have taken her right there and then in that hallway, the sight of him and the memories of their night together enough to get her ready and wanting. But with the way he was overwhelming her senses at the moment, she felt like she was going to explode if things didn't move forward quickly. So she let her leg fall back down and her hands went straight for the buckle of his belt -no time for other clothes to go off and she really liked him in that suit anyway- unlatching it before going for the button and zipper of his trousers and finally getting her hand on his cock as she pulled it out through the flaps of his boxer briefs.

"Jemma …" He gasped in surprise as he pulled away and she felt a little panic settle over her. He was breathing hard and his pupils were so dilated that his eyes seemed almost black and well … she literally had the proof of his arousal in her hands but maybe his own desire hadn't quite reached the point where he didn't care about being in a public place yet. Maybe he just had a really hot snog in mind, although he did let her go this far without stopping her ...

"Fitz? Isn't that what you …"

"Yes yes!" He cut her off, his forehead falling on her shoulder as he tried to catch his breath. "God yes ... that's what I want, I just … I wasn't sure you wanted to … these things only happen in movies or dreams …"

She let out a throaty chuckle. He probably had a point and it was somehow reassuring that he wasn't more used to these things than she was. And she would also never mock her friends' supposedly highly unrealistic erotic novels anymore. If anything, she might read a few for inspiration before her next conference.

"Well if it's a dream, we better get to the point before either of us wake up ... And I just … I can't wait and I can't go back through there now …" She breathed out and pulled at his tie to capture his mouth once more in another fiery kiss without waiting for an answer. She started stroking his already hard cock and he seemed to agree with her. Fitz groaned as he diverted his kisses to her neck, visibly very affected by what she was doing, so she gripped him tighter and started stroking a little faster, her thumb grazing the head of his cock as she did, fascinated by how he was twitching in her hand at every motion. She would have brought him to completion like that, incredibly turned on by the power it was giving her over him and feeling like making things even considering how many incredible orgasms he gave her the last time, but he was the one to take her hand off him.

"Won't last if you do that …" He said in a dangerously low voice.

"Well that was …" But he cut her off with another kiss on the lips, grabbed her waist and shifting around a bit, pushed her back against the wall, his cock deliciously hitting against her aching core. Well. She could only be so strong.

"Can't have you falling off the edge love …" He said, tenderly running his knuckles down her cheek as he nodded towards the side. Of course, the railing was only waist high and if he fucked her against that as wildly as he had against the wall the last time, who knew what could happen when they started losing control? She knew he just didn't want her to die and she shouldn't feel so special it, because he probably wished that on pretty much everyone he knew, but coupled with his gesture and the surprising term of endearment, she was strangely touched and a soft smile tugged at her lips. But then his hand started going down, pulling the off the shoulder strap of her dress and she was back to being turned on. He pulled it torturously slowly, uncovering more and more of her cleavage until her breast finally popped out, her nipple hard and aching, screaming for him to touch it. He bit his lip to stop the moan that threatened to come out of him and then his lips were on her, sucking and twirling his tongue against it and she moaned out loud, deciding at this moment that she would never ever doubt again when it comes to trusting the built in bra of a dress and forego wearing a real one.

His other hand came up to fondle her pair and for a moment, she just enjoyed the way he was worshipping her body with such passion and obvious adoration, her fingers threading in his hair to keep him in place as her head fell back against the wall. But as exciting as it was to do what they were going to do where they were going to do it, it was still making her nervous.

"Fitz … Fitz … maybe we should … you should …" She mumbled.

"What Jemma?" He asked, his breath fanning over her sensitive nipple and she whimpered.

"We're ready, just … just fuck me now before someone sees us ... and do this later, yeah?"

God she hoped he'd still be interested in doing that again later because it felt like heaven.

His eyes went wide at her words. He probably had trouble reconciling this version of her with her younger self he'd often teased for being so prim and proper. She'd thought the last time would have been enough to change his image of her but apparently not. He didn't seem to mind though because he smiled wickedly after a few seconds. He pressed one last kiss to her breast, the gesture more adorable than arousing, before sinking to his knees, his hands quickly going up under her dress and pulling at her knickers. When she stepped out of it, he made a show of folding the tiny, embarrassingly wet piece of fabric properly and shoved it into his pocket. She shook her head in amusement and pulled him back up. He lifted her dress until it was pooled around her waist, pressed his hard cock against her fold and …

"Fuck!" He almost cried out, pulling back from her.

What was it? Surely he didn't … she would have felt it ...

"Don't have a condom on me!" He explained. Oh. She could have stopped to wonder if she was more disappointed that maybe, he didn't want this to happen again as much as her or relieved that he hadn't been lying and that what they did the last time clearly wasn't something he usually did, which made her feel, somehow, kind of special. But as it was, her confidence that they'd resolved their sexual tension definitely only went so far and she, in fact, had packed a condom in her small bag. In the supposedly very unlikely case they'd find themselves in the same situation once more.

"I do!" She blurted out before bending down to retrieve it from the bag she'd let fall to the floor at some point. If he was surprised that she did or wondered why, he didn't let it show and eagerly grabbed it from her hand when she stood back up. He opened it and she watched him roll it on his length as she licked her lip in anticipation, remembering how well it had filled her the last time. He pushed her back against the wall and she immediately lifted one leg to hook around his waist again, opening herself to him as much as she could and finally, with one hand on her hip, the other on her leg and his forehead pressed against hers, he lined himself up and entered her in one swift motion, groaning with pleasure as he did. He didn't stop until he was in to the hilt and then looked down at her.

"Alright?" He asked.

"Yes …yes … please move …" She rasped against his lips before capturing them and he did just as she asked. He pulled out and back in slowly a few time to find the right angle. The position didn't really allow him really long strokes but he made up for it by twisting his hips and soon she was keening with the combined pleasure of all the fantastic places he was hitting inside her and the grind of his pelvic bone against her clit. He started thrusting faster then, picking up a pace that was almost punishing, making her vision spotty with bliss and she had the fleeting thought that, if someone walked in on them now, she probably wouldn't even notice and wouldn't have the force of will to make him stop before they both climaxed anyway. He was panting hard against where he had started diverting his kisses to her neck again. She moaned when he did that thing with his tongue on her earlobe and it spurred him on, roughly pulling at her dress to uncover her other breast to fondle and swipe the nipple with his thumb. She whimpered in pleasure once more and he groaned, something deep and animalistic, as he kept snapping his hips faster and faster against her, pushing her into the wall even more every time.

His fingers were digging deeper and deeper into the flesh of her thigh and at some point, she felt him start to lose his rhythm, even with her own hips rolling to meet him as he pushed in.

"Fuck … Jemma are you close?" He asked desperately. Surely she could feel the pleasure rising inside her, his cock doing wonders just like it did the last time, but she wasn't quite there yet, missing the long deep slide of him in and out of her just like when he'd been taking her from behind. But as tempting as it was, she loved having his chest pressed against hers and she didn't want to change that.

"No … I need more … deeper …" She asked almost pleadingly.

Too lost in his own pleasure, it took him a few seconds to react but then he was stopping, letting her leg fall back to the ground and reluctantly pulling out of her. She wondered if he had the same idea and knew she wouldn't resist if he bent her over the railing to help her finish, but instead he bent his own legs slightly and grabbed her rear firmly.

"On three, you jump yeah?" He grinned.

"What?" She squeaked.

"one, two ... three …" And without thinking, she jumped as he lifted her up and secured her legs around his waist, squealing in delight and surprise that he was actually strong enough to carry her, even with the added help of the wall.

Lining himself once more, he easily slid back inside her and she discovered one added bonus of shagging a genius engineer. Of couse he knew all about leverage and all the different forces at play here and had found the perfect solution given their specific parameters. He pulled back once and slid back all the way in, gravity working wonders for them as she met him in the middle. He resumed his rapid pace from earlier but his thrusts were sinfully deep now, making her feel like he was a mile long and she finally felt her orgasm building.

"Oh god yes … so close ..." She breathed out so he started going even faster then, slamming his cock harder every time and, taking advantage of their position, burying his face in her breasts, sucking and licking and biting hungrily until finally her orgasm crashed over her, her walls clenching around his cock as she gasped for breath at the intensity of it. It took only a few more thrusts for him to come as well, cursing against her skin to stop himself from shouting as he spilled inside her, the pulsing of his cock prolonging her pleasure. As he slowly went down from his high, he kept moving for a moment, milking all the remnants of pleasure he could for the both of them. Or maybe a bit more for her as he seemed to enjoy her little whimpers more than anything else.

Then he finally pulled out and let her legs fall back as delicately as he could. He watched with obvious disappointment as she tucked her breasts back into her dress and accepted her offered tissu with a sheepish smile as he rid himself of the condom and wrapped it in it. Never let it be said that Jemma Simmons wasn't prepared for everything, even quick dirty hot sex in a public place.

"So …" He started. "Maybe we didn't solve all that tension the last time after all?" He said with a tentative, sheepish smile and she chuckled.

"Or maybe it was just too good for it to be a one time thing only …"

"Or that …" He grinned.

"Mmmhh … Fitz I think you still have something of mine. I'm going to need it before we go back in there."

He was confused for a second before his hand automatically went to his pocket and his grin became wider.

"Oh no I'm keeping that!" He replied and she rolled her eyes. "Serves you right for giving me a hard on while I talk to old professor Livingston!"

"Hey is it my fault if you're so horny you get hard by just looking at me? I know I'm pretty irresistible in that dress but ..."

"Oh please … I'll give you the benefit of the doubt for the champagne although I've never known you to be especially clumsy but the whole caressing your chest while looking at me … that was provocation and it demands retaliation!" He declared.

"Ugh Fitz, I wasn't caressing my breasts I was just making sure … fine!" She sighed. She knew she was a terrible liar anyway and she knew exactly why she did what she did. "But considering what … or well WHO came after that, I didn't think you'd mind …" She added seductively as she looped her arms around his waist, letting her hands fall to his bum and pulling him closer.

"It still was terribly embarrassing and … don't think I don't know what you're trying to do with your wandering little hands …" He grinned as he moved away from her and patted his side pocket to make sure he still had her knickers in there.

What he didn't know though was that she didn't really mind him keeping it. She knew he'd give it back if she really insisted anyway and she could easily go back to her room to slip another one on. Not to mention that she found it actually kind of exciting to walk around bare ass under her dress knowing he was the only one knowing. And that was why, she didn't go for her knickers but his key card. And succeeded. If he wanted to play it like that then be it. But he'd be the one coming after her and he'd be the one who would have to work for it if he ever wanted to get back to his room.

And that was how their little game started.

 _ **Back to San Francisco annual BioTech conference, February 2018, a little bit later ...**_

"Doctor Simmons, so nice of you to come see my lecture!"

Jemma jumped a bit as the most boring voice she knew pulled her out of the reverie she'd managed to get herself sucked in once more. She didn't realize how much time had passed and now she was the only person in the room. He was, for sure, going to think she had more to say than her usual polite "Congratulations Professor Vaughn, it was a very interesting subject" which was never a lie because technically, the subject of his lectures were often interesting. It was always the way he treated them that was incredibly boring.

"Of but of course Professor Vaughn, it's always a treat!"

Now THAT was a filthy lie and she should be ashamed of herself.

Turned out she punished herself for it because he then proceeded to ask her what she thought about every single detail of it and when she thought she was through, he started asking her questions about her dendrotoxine. She was only saved by her boss texting her that he was leaving for the airport and wishing her to enjoy the rest of the conference. She pretended it was a message she needed to reply to urgently and finally left the room before he found an excuse to pull her back into yet another boring conversation. She walked towards the elevator and decided to go back to her room. She had another hour before the next lecture she wanted to attend to and she didn't feel like talking to anyone else, she felt like resting for a bit and maybe, just maybe, spend a little time texting Fitz and find a way to make him pay for being so distractingly sweet and forcing her to have such a long talk with professor Vaughn.

Of course when the blow was unintentional and adorable, she didn't think it counted for their little game but if she was completely honest, it felt like it had turned into something rather sweet a long time ago. Of course it started out as a barely disguised excuse for more sex when their usual fighting wasn't good enough anymore but it soon turned into something else. Once, they decided to settle it once and for all by playing every possible game in the family room of their hotel, both of them acting as ridiculously competitive about Uno and Jenga as they did about science. In the end, they were asked to leave because the place was closing and they realized they'd stopped keeping score a long time ago as their glares had turned into giggles and bright happy smiles. They truly enjoyed themselves this time, not just for sex or because his brilliant brain understood her better than anyone else but simply because it was nice just being with him. She liked how focused he could get on pulling a piece of wood from a rather unsteady tower and how happy he looked when he pulled it off. Fitz was usually such a grump, it did something in her chest to see him smile so much and so freely when he was with her. Jemma remembered falling asleep in his arms later that night, a smile still ghosting her face and her heart beating inexplicably fast despite her tiredness and she wished she'd realized what was happening. She wished she realized she'd started falling in love with him right then and that she shouldn't wait for things to get more complicated to do something about it.

Looking back at his last text, she allowed herself a contented sigh. They'd already both taken a big step forward and now, they just had to follow through.


	5. Chapter 5

The next two weeks were just as crazy as Jemma thought they'd be. She loved her job, she really did, but with doctor McKenzie leaving SciTech to start his own company, every one was working on the clock to finish all the projects their teams had in common and two weeks soon turned into one nightmarish month where she barely saw the light of day except from the window of her office or the lab. One of the highlights of that period was the string of texts they exchanged with Fitz. They were rather scarce, some days there were twenty, others there was none but they were always delightful and filled her with a warmth she hadn't felt in a long time. Sometimes they'd just exchange a funny thought about something they saw, sometimes it was a picture and once or twice, she also asked him for advice on something she was working on. They were still tentative when it came to expressing their affection for each other and Fitz didn't seem really keen on using cute emojis (except those with monkeys somehow) but with time, they both started trying out new things and every time, it left Jemma's heart beating fast and her lips stuck on a dopey smile.

Once, he told her he was going to watch the latest Doctor Who episode just as she was doing the same on one of the few evenings she didn't make it home too late and he added that he wished she was there with him. (She could almost see his shy smile and she was so busy thinking and smiling about it herself that she had to rewatch the whole episode the next day). Another time, he complained about his stupid colleagues and she jokingly asked him if that made him miss her brain, to which he replied that he missed every part of her. After she's had to bite her lip not to swoon at how sweet that was since she was in the middle of a meeting, she replied that she did miss every part of him as well, even his grumpy side that she somehow started finding quite endearing at times. (not that she would actually tell him that last part just yet).

As sweet as those texts were and as better as it made her days sometimes, it still felt like it was not enough. She wanted to hear his voice at least and see him in person if possible, but by some cruel twist of fate, after a year of going to conferences almost every month, it seemed that neither of them would have the time or possibility to attend one for quite a while. Jemma just couldn't spare a few days to attend one even as a simple spectator, even less give a lecture there and even if she did, Fitz wouldn't be able to attend anyway. Something was obviously keeping him incredibly busy at work but he was always so secretive about it that she couldn't possibly know what it was about. He kept dodging her questions and changing the subject and sometimes she even wondered if his job wasn't just a façade and he was in fact working for the government or some super secret agency (like she was pretty sure he did just after Oxford.)

But it's only when things at work started calming down after a month, still not leaving her much time during the week but with at least the prospect of being able to start planning things for the week-ends, that she realized things were maybe not so good with Fitz after all.

They kept exchanging texts just as often and he was still being really sweet, but at some point it dawned on her that those were just words. They even had the time for two phone calls, and past the initial awkwardness, it's been lovely talking to him about everything and nothing and hear the fondness in his voice and his laugh. Her frustrated libido had been a little bit disappointed that the conversation hadn't strayed towards something sexier but she supposed she could only blame herself for waiting for him to make the first move in that direction. But every time she suggested that they could meet up during the week-end, it seemed like it just wasn't possible for him. He always had plenty of work meetings even during the week-end or some social event he couldn't dodge. She would have suggested she comes with him, or even just come to Boston and visit the city while he was working so they could still spend the evening and night together, but she didn't want to be too clingy when they hadn't even properly discussed the state of their relationship, and Fitz apparently didn't think of the possibility. Or he thought about it and dismissed it.

Either way, with a lack of anything tangible to base her reflexion on, Jemma started doubting and interpreting every single one of his actions. She kept telling herself that maybe they should have taken the time to talk some more that morning. Maybe she should have gotten dressed and accompanied him to the airport so that they could at least start putting words on what they were. Because these days, she was starting to believe that maybe it was just a spur of the moment thing, a mix of post coital affection and residual feelings that had started fading away the moment they were separated. But then she would re-read his last texts and smile and decide to give him the benefit of the doubt because it was, after all, perfectly possible for him to be extra busy at work and to want their first date (or whatever it should be called) to be extra special and not just a few stollen moments where he'd be too exhausted to really appreciate it.

So now, instead of being pleasantly distracted by his messages every once in a while, she kept distracting herself by rehashing everything they ever told each other and wondering where that would eventually lead. After all, she didn't even know when they would see one another again or even if they would ever see each other again at all at this point!

"Doctor Simmons?"

Jemma jumped in her chair and started blushing slightly when she realized she must have spent the last five minutes staring into space as she thought about Fitz. She was the head of her department, she couldn't be seen daydreaming about her boyfriend/lover/whatever like a teenager. Especially by that annoying kiss-ass of a man.

"Yes Doctor Nathanson?"

"Your head of departments meeting starts in five minutes."

"Oh yes of course … thank you I'll be right there."

Of course that was one meeting she couldn't miss, they were all finally going to meet Doctor McKenzie's replacement. Honestly, she loved Coulson, he was quite possibly the nicest, smartest, most open-minded boss she could have hoped for and she usually found his little quirks quite amusing. But she loved to be prepared and she wished he didn't make a whole secret about who was this supposedly miracle worker. She wished she, at least, knew his or her name so that she could do proper research on her or him and decide if that person truly was as impressive as Coulson had assured her. And of course, if she was being completely honest, she felt a little vexed that Coulson didn't put her in the confidence when everyone kept repeating she was like his favorite child.

Well, the wait was almost over and she supposed she'd have all evening to trace back that person's whole history.

-0-0-0-

Fifteen minutes later, Jemma finally heard Coulson's and another person's footsteps coming towards the meeting room. That man really did like a good entrance, she thought as everybody looked up in curiosity. And even though she was a little annoyed for wasting ten minutes waiting for him, she couldn't help but be a little anxious to meet that supposed genius. She'd liked working with Doctor McKenzie. He was a smart, nice and easy going man who knew how to keep an open mind and always treated her with the utmost respect. And if experience taught her something, it was that these kinds of persons were hard to come by.

As they finally opened the door, she could only see Coulson at first and the silhouette of a man who seemed to be just a little shorter and it was funny because it reminded her quite a lot of …

"Hello everyone. There'll be loads to discuss today but without further ado, let me introduce to you the new head of the engineering department, Doctor Leo Fitz."

-0-0-0-

For a few moments, Jemma thought it might be a really weird prank. She even considered that she might be dreaming. It wouldn't be the first time she fell asleep on her desk after another one of those days that never seemed to end and dream about him. But then their eyes met and she didn't need to check for hidden cameras or pinch herself because it all felt very real. His eyes were usually so expressive but now, all she could decipher was that he was definitely not comfortable at all despite the fake smile plastered on his face. But he'd never been good with meeting new people anyway and maybe she was just projecting her own confusion on him.

What did this all mean? When has it been decided? Surely that was why he'd been so secretive about work and didn't want to meet up with her but why? If he was going to work in New York in the same bloody company as she did, didn't he think she should have been the first person to know? Did it have something to do with Coulson making a big secret out of it? And whose idea was it to even make it a secret?

Fortunately, the layout of the room and the fact that she came in last made it so that Fitz had to shake everybody's hand before Coulson finally led them towards her. Which, at least, gave her a few minutes to compose herself and not scream at him the moment they were facing each other.

"And this is doctor Jemma Simmons, head of the biochem division but I think you might know each other already …" Coulson said with a pleased little grin as he almost pushed a very reluctant Fitz towards her. She supposed he'd hoped they'd be able to talk on their own but his reluctance still hurt on top of everything else.

"Oh …" Jemma said, raising her eyebrows in surprise and hoping the blush on her cheeks could be attributed to the malfunctioning AC in the room and not the fact that she hoped Coulson hadn't somehow learned about their affair.

"Yeah I noticed that you both went to Oxford during the same years and at the same age, surely you must have crossed paths there …"

Yeah hum … yeah we're hu … old classmates …" Fitz replied and it was all she could do not to scoff as she could almost feel her eyes shooting daggers at him. At least, he had the decency to look apologetic. "Nice to see you again Jemma …" He added with a tentative smile. He almost never called her Jemma in public and certainly not around either of their colleagues or peers. The nerves he had doing it now after what he just called her. Not even friends or lab partners or even rivals. Classmates! She had a deeper relationship with the barista from the coffee shop around the corner than with anyone she would describe as an old classmate.

"Nice to see you too Leo." She finally replied, plastering that fake smile she'd been perfecting for years, on her face, and his own dissolved immediately at the use of his hated first name.

She didn't understand how this all happened and all the secrecy and lying that surrounded it and if a small part of her brain reminded her how she'd been thinking about how nice it would be to work with him again, the biggest part couldn't help screaming that, at least, she knew exactly what it meant for that relationship that wasn't even given the chance to really start once more.

Well, she supposed old classmates wasn't such a bad description after all.

 **Oxford, June 2011, the morning after the graduation party**

Jemma woke up the next morning with an uneasy feeling in her stomach but still reasonably hopeful. It's been nice of Linda to insist she was on that bloody picture but if they were being honest, they both knew they would have lost sight of each other before the year ends. Their fragile friendship only rested on the fact that they'd lived in such close quarter for three years. They never shared more than a few innocuous conversations about boys and slightly mean jokes about other girls from their dorm that always made Jemma feel a little guilty for finding some of them quite amusing.

But after they were done taking the picture and they had spent what Jemma deemed a reasonably polite amount of time chatting, Fitz was nowhere to be found. She went back to the balcony, looked around the room at least four times, waited at the entrance of the corridor that lead to the toilets in case he was there and even went through the huge gardens three times, feeling like a weirdo as she looked in every corner since it was obviously the place couples who wanted a little intimacy had all elected. Not knowing where to look next and realizing that she had no idea where his dorm room was, she had to stop looking and hope he'd resurface on his own. And as she was pulled into several conversations with teachers, classmates and potential employers (not that she was interested in those, her job at SciTech already waiting for her), she kept wondering if maybe she had done something wrong. Maybe he thought she was running away from him earlier and she should have spent one more minute explaining that whatever happened, she liked it and really didn't want to forget about it. Or maybe they'd just been missing each other all evening and she should have properly asked him to meet her somewhere specific after the picture was taken. Hopefully, she'd be able to set things right quickly enough.

And that's why she found herself out of her room before 8 in the morning in a mostly silent building. Even those who were planning to leave the day after the party weren't up yet and probably wouldn't be for a few hours considering how late it ended. Still not knowing where Fitz's room was, she'd decided to go to every dorm building and look up the list of students in the hall of every one of them, hoping that just like in her dorm, they wouldn't have taken it away already.

It didn't take long to find it since it turned out his room was in fact in the building just opposite hers. She might even have seen him through the window all these years if she wanted to. His room was on the third floor like hers, on the side facing her building and only a few doors to the right. She quickly made her way there, only realizing when she was about to knock that he might not like being awaken so early. Maybe she should have brought tea or coffee, or knowing him, some awful sugary treat, to put him in a good mood. Well it was too late now and, maybe, if that conversation went well, they could go out and have breakfast together. He could tell her what his plans were for the coming months and maybe they would happen to live not too far from each other. She would have been surprised if he didn't have a job waiting for him already, unless he'd decided to take a little holiday, take a road trip across the country or whatever normal students usually did.

Well, there was only one way of knowing so she took a deep breath and knocked … and the door opened on its own.

"Fitz?" She asked tentatively. He was usually so careful about lab safety and everything in the lab that she found it strange that he didn't even close his door properly. Not hearing anything and getting a little worried that something might have happened to him, she decided to open the door a bit more to check on him. She'd rather see something she wasn't supposed to than leave him without helping if he was injured or sick.

Turned out she was worried over nothing because the room was completely empty already. Her stomach twisted in an awful way as she looked around. Only the naked mattress remained on his bed, the shelves above his desk were empty and the doors to his dressing slightly ajar and letting her see that it was just as desperately empty. With the window he must have left open for hours, even his smell was gone, leaving only the chemical smell of the detergent he must have used to clean up before leaving. She tried to convince herself that it was that and not the shear disappointment she felt that brought tears to her eyes as she remained there in the middle of the room for she didn't even know how long. She didn't know what she was waiting for there. That maybe, like in some cheesy romcom, he would come back and find her there and declare his love for her and he'd follow her to New York and they would live happily ever after? Of course no, he'd obviously been gone for a long time and she had no way of contacting him so that was it for them. Whatever last night had been for him, it wasn't important enough to at least say goodbye to her. Or maybe that was what it had been all along, his wish to part on good terms going well past his expectations but still only a way of saying goodbye in the end.

Getting out of her daze, she decided to get out and walk back to her dorm before anyone else was up and gave her questioning looks as to why she was crying in the empty room of her supposed arch nemesis. That felt too much like a romcom cliché she definitely didn't want to be in. So she finally re-entered her room and having nothing else to do but finish packing for her own departure the next day, she let herself fall face first on her bed to wallow in self pity like the teenager she'd never really been. She thought she'd been heartbroken when her relationship with James didn't work out but it was now, over a relationship that didn't even have the time to really start, that she learned the real meaning of having a broken heart.

 **Sci-tech, New York, April 2018**

The rest of the day, Jemma did what she always did when she found herself in a situation that frustrated her: she buried herself under tons of work. Which was easy at the moment since she was asked to propose new ways to use her dendrotoxine. And she didn't even have to work in the lab all day with all the administrative work she had to do in her office on top of everything. She usually didn't do more than a couple of hours worth of it in the same day, at the risk of going crazy, but she didn't want to risk crossing paths with a specific person down at the lab's level. Obviously she knew she'd have to see him and talk to him some more, she wasn't stupid, but she wasn't ready just yet. In fact they would even have to work together quite often and she was really intrigued by those high tech prosthetics Fitz would be working on and that apparently got him the job.

And even that last part was just adding one more thing to the list of grievances she had against him. Because he'd never even mentioned such a project whereas she told him in more or less details, about everything she'd been working on for the past year and probably even much longer. So she really didn't feel like seeing him in one of their labs, surrounded by either one of their teams and have that discussion there. He'd tried to talk to her earlier, just after the meeting, and even though she thought she gave him a pretty clear sign that now wasn't the time. She was saved by a few people from what was now his engineering team but she couldn't risk having him blurt out whatever he had to say in public if they crossed paths. She couldn't possibly be prepared for that conversation since she didn't understand why he acted like he did but at least she could make sure no one would be there to witness it.

He must have understood that because it was quite late when she heard a knock on her door. Most people on the floor had left already and she was considering going home as well and leave dealing with Fitz to her future self. But, apparently, that wasn't going to happen because that was very obviously Fitz and she knew because, damnit, she even recognized his knock.

"Come in" She said, just loud enough for him to hear and with a tone as neutral as she could muster.

"Hi …" He let out as he walked in and took a few steps to get a little closer to her desk. She had to admit she found it fascinating that someone could express so much discomfort in just two little letters.

Letting out a deep sigh, she finally looked up at him. She hated that he decided to wear such a nice fitting suit and that light blue shirt that made his eyes pop in an almost unnatural way but more than anything, she hated that he looked so sheepish because that made her want to hug him when she also wanted to scream at him and possibly throw things at him. It's never been something she felt the compulsion to do before but she was starting to see the appeal.

"So?" She just said, not willing to help him more than that. If he came to talk then he was the one who was going to talk.

"So hum … I thought … you must be wondering why I'm here and why I didn't tell you sooner that …"

"Oh you think?" She snapped, unable to keep the angry tone out of her voice a minute longer.

"Yeah I … I probably deserve that and I'm really sorry but I swear I didn't WANT to hide things from you, I, just … I couldn't tell you …"

"Oh so you left your job, came to New York to, literally, work in the lab next door to mine and never in two months of texting and phone calls could you have slipped a word about that? That's just …"

"Jemma please …" He cut her off, coming to sit face to face with her hunching over the desk as to be the closest he could without touching her. After missing him for so long and then seeing him in those conditions, she honestly didn't know how she would react if he just touched her hand. Would she simply be able to push him away or would she pull him into a hug and then and slap him? Would she slap him first and then pull him into an angry kiss that would most likely turn into something else. Well, she supposed she should be grateful that he didn't try and spared them that potential mess. "Let me explain …"

"Fine" She sighed, crossing her arms over her chest as she sat back and away from him. Hurt flashed in his eyes as she did, and it was almost enough for her to do something to ease the blow, but she was just too mad.

"So … it all started when my boss made a deal to work with the government, with the military specifically. They were really impressed with my drones, which I thought was a good thing for a whole five minutes, until they told me they wanted to use that technology to make weapons out of them …"

"Oh …"

"Yeah … I think you know me enough to know that it's the last thing I want to do … I would have talked to you about it but you know how they are … or well, hopefully you don't, but anyway they made me sign a confidentiality agreement the moment I entered that first meeting and I … well I just couldn't ..."

She nodded, sympathizing with him but not understanding why it lead to him making a whole secret about coming to work for SciTech. Surely SciTech didn't work on anything that warranted this level of paranoia.

"So when it became obvious they wouldn't change their mind, I just decided to resign but turns out my contract prevented me from doing it …"

"What do you mean? They can't force you to …"

"It's my faut really Jemma, I was in such a hurry to sign with MaxIndustries in the first place, ironically to get out of my previous job, that I didn't take a close enough look at my contract. Of course I was allowed to resign but only once I've finished every ongoing project. And I could have argued that the project was finished and this would be a new one but they wouldn't have it and I was honestly completely lost. I would have talked to you immediately that day but I was a little ashamed because I know that's the kind of things that never happens to you …"

"What? You didn't talk to me because you were ashamed? But I could have have helped you out, maybe find something in your contract about …"

"No Jemma I would have told you eventually …" He cut her off again, trying to remain calm but still getting impatient so she decided to stop talking for now, let him do his thing and ask questions later. She suspected she would have enough of those anyway.

"Sorry …" She said reluctantly. "Keep going."

"So … I wanted to tell you but a colleague told me about a lawyer he knew and that whatever my problem was, he could probably help. I was desperate so I called him immediately and I was right to do so. He's specialized in these kinds of crap and found something in it that could be interpreted as me keeping intellectual rights on my creations. So long story short, we made a deal because even though MaxIndustries have plenty of lawyers, if I decided to sue them, it would have taken months or even years where they couldn't have used the drones or done anything with it. So I'm keeping intellectual property on the drones which means they can't weaponize them but I'm letting them use them as they are and I'm obviously leaving MaxIndustries because I just can't work for those people anymore."

"Wow that's … I don't know what to say Fitz … "

"That's alright it was my fault I guess and I was just really lucky to find Hunter …"

"Hunter?"

"Lance Hunter, my lawyer … A little unorthodox I guess but he's a really good guy. We've become quite good friends actually …"

Well good to know Fitz was out there making friends while she was here doubting herself and everything that ever happened between them. And what was that name anyway? Hunter? Was their friendship born out of a common hatred of their first name? She knew she was getting petty and that she should probably be glad that he had someone to help him through something like that but why couldn't it have been her? He must have somehow guessed what was going on in her head because he started talking again without her having to point out the obvious: that it still did not explain why she was only learning this today.

"I met Coulson back in San Fransisco. I didn't even know he was your boss then and we just talked and it was really interesting. I hadn't thought about it until he contacted me a month ago and asked if I was interested in the job and well ... of course I was. Because it is a fantastic job and I had the contract checked by Hunter this time and there was no funny business in it and well … obviously because it was bringing me much closer to you …" he trailed off, looking at her with so much longing and hopefulness again.

It was exhausting and it was making her angry because she just wanted him to get to the point and stop making things even more complicated by saying things like that.

"… but the first thing Hunter told me was to not talk to anyone about any of this because of the non-disclosure agreement I signed with the military. He seemed to believe that if I told anyone about it and the military learned about it somehow, they'd use it to say I broke the agreement and I could be in a lot of trouble. And well … I-I had good reasons to believe him … So I told Coulson I was interested but couldn't tell him when I'd be free. But he was willing to wait. Apparently he'd heard really good things about me …" Fitz trailed off with a tentative smile towards her.

Did he think …

"That wasn't me Fitz." She declared a little coldly before softening up a bit now that she was starting to understand the meaning of all this. "I mean I probably would have but no one asked me to …" She trailed off and his smile faltered.

"Oh … of course … I get it …" He said, moving back from the desk as he looked down to where he was wringing his hands in his lap for a moment. "So the whole thing was finally resolved last week and I arrived in New York only yesterday. I wasn't going to start here for a few days so I thought that left me a few days to hum … I don't know surprise you and do something nice for you and at least give you a head's up, but Coulson insisted that I start this morning and I just couldn't say no after everything …"

If anything, Jemma was even more confused than she was before. She didn't know what to make of it and that still didn't change a thing about the future of their relationship, whatever distracting way he was looking at her. And she wasn't even sure what she felt the most. Was she sad or angry or frustrated the most?

"Jemma?" He asked when she didn't say a word for what were probably a few long minutes and she just exploded. They'd waited too long to have a real conversation and now it was too late but she was going to get it out of her chest anyway.

"So what Fitz?" She cried out as she stood up from her chair, her body buzzing with too much negative energy to stay in place anymore. "You couldn't even have given me a hint? A small sign? Anything?"

"Jemma I wanted to, I swear but I just couldn't risk it, not with you …"

"Oh so I was a risk, wasn't I?" She cut him off.

"No it's not like that I …"

"After the last time, did you think it was still just sex between us? I trusted you with everything, told you things I never told anyone this past year, I trusted you with my body and my feelings and you couldn't even trust me enough to share a small hint of what was happening to you? Instead you just disappeared again and I was left …"

"Jemma no, I'm sorry I really am …" He cut her off.

There were unshed tears in his eyes and she supposed there were tears in hers as well and at this point she couldn't care less. He'd stood up as well and she was only now realizing how close he'd gotten.

"I didn't want to put you in any kind of trouble. But I guess I was a little scared that I was going too fast considering how long it took us to get there. But I … I'd missed you so much I thought we could find a way …"

He was so close now that she could even feel the warmth of his body and that same lovely smell that hadn't changed in almost ten years. He gently palmed her cheek and tilted her face up and she was powerless to resist the magnetic pull of his blue eyes and soft looking lips.

"It was such a complicated, nightmarish period … and I wish it didn't happen while we were at such an exciting but fragile step in our relationship and …"

His face was so close now that she could feel his lips ghosting hers as he spoke and that would have been her undoing if it didn't bring her back to the harsh reality instead.

"There's no relationship Fitz …"

Her words were barely above a whisper and it still felt like they cut right through her heart.

"What? Jemma I know I messed up but I thought …"

"Fitz it's again the company's rules, if only you'd given me just the smallest hint I could have told you. And it's written in your contract as well."

She moved away from him again, putting the desk between them as she realized her heart couldn't be trusted when it came to Fitz.

"But there must be a way around it surely …"

"No Fitz, this is serious stuff, I've seen it happen twice. My friend from accounting had to resign so that he could be with his girlfriend and that other couple had to split so that they could both keep working at SciTech … But I get it you know, since we're only old classmates, it makes sense that you didn't bother to ask that lawyer friend of yours about that specific topic!"

She knew she was getting petty again but she supposed that was what two months, or rather ten years, of shattered expectations did to you. And however hopeful she'd been about what they could become, she knew that their career was just too important to them both and none of them would resign so that left them with only one possibility.

"Jemma no … you know it's not like that. I just didn't want Coulson to think of us as more than colleagues before we have the time to discuss."

"Well that's good I suppose because that's all we can be now anyway." She declared as she tried to keep her voice as steady as possible and using the few seconds it took her to turn around and sit back in her chair to compose herself and keep the tears at bay. "And it's not like we're missing much, that thing never really started and we were never even friends anyway …"

"Jemma …" He pleaded. "Can we just talk about it? I meant everything I said that morning and I want us to be … more. Can't we find a way …"

"No Fitz … we've had too many false starts, I just … I think maybe some things are just not meant to be …"

"Jemma please …"

"I think you should leave now, I have work to finish."

And with that, she brought her gaze back towards her computer screen. She couldn't have said what was displayed there at the time if her life depended on it but she just couldn't trust herself to look into his eyes without faltering.

For a moment that seemed to last forever, he remained there and even only getting a glimpse of his face from the corner of her field of vision was too much but then, she didn't know if she'd convinced him or if he just decided to respect her wish not to talk about it some more, but she thought she could hear a sniffle before he finally turned around and walked towards the door, closing it behind him without ever looking back. And as the sound reverberated in the silent hallway, it sounded terribly final.

 **Berlin, science and development convention, December 2017**

"You should probably leave now"

"What?" Fitz practically whined against where he was pressing lazy kisses on her shoulder. "Why? Did I hum … did I do something wrong?"

She looked up at him through the bathroom mirror and he had such a sheepish look on his face, like a child being denied his favorite toy, that she couldn't help chuckling.

"Of course no Fitz" She rolled her eyes. "You actually did something very right …" She added, reaching backward to pat his head teasingly. "It's just getting late and your lecture's really early tomorrow, you know you won't get proper sleep if you stay here all night ... especially if you keep going like that!"

They'd spent a good portion of the welcoming dinner rather pleasantly arguing about Stark Industries' latest discoveries and how Jemma thought it didn't warrant organizing their own conference around it and could just as well present them here. Somehow they'd gotten to involve several other conference goers into the discussion and even though sparks seemed to have been flying that night like it had been between them for months, Jemma had decided to call it a night before they had the opportunity to find themselves on their own. She wanted to have enough sleep to attend Fitz's lecture in the morning and since she wasn't presenting anything this time, they'd have ample time for a more private type of conversation in the next two days. But Fitz didn't see it that way and he'd apparently taken her decision to leave and mention she needed a hot shower before bed for his cue to follow her. She barely had the time to undress before he was knocking on her door. Her first instinct had been to chastise him for not even trying to keep their affair discreet anymore but his proposition to conserve water by taking this shower together was in the same time too ridiculous and too tempting to resist. Two minutes later, Fitz had divested himself of his own clothes and was already proving to her that two consenting adults could very much enjoy a shared shower without the deadly risk of traditional shower sex, Fitz's very agile hands playing a very important role in it. But it was now getting really late and she would feel guilty if he looked like a zombie during his own presentation.

"Oh no don't worry …" He said, a new smile blooming across his face as he resumed kissing her shoulders, this time with more intent. "I never needed sleep as much as, you know, being relaxed … and I will achieve that much better with you …"

"Well that's flattering! Good to know that's all I'm good at ..." She let out, her tone harsher than she meant to as she turned around to grab her moisturizing cream from her small vanity case. She knew his remark was meant to be flirty and kind of a compliment but it only served to remind her that, in the end, sex was the main reason for them spending so much time together at every conference, despite feeling that something had shifted between them. Well at least on her part.

"Hey hey hey …" He stopped her, gently catching her across the waist as he rested his chin on her shoulder. She tried to protest weakly but he felt too nice, all naked and warm against her back, even through the thin towel she was wearing around her torso. She still glared at him through the bathroom mirror even though it was kind of hard when he looked at her with such confusing tenderness, like his mouth and his eyes weren't connected to the same brain sometimes. "I'm sorry ... that sounded terrible and that's not what I meant at all, you know that right?"

"No I don't Fitz …"

"Well ... then you should know that I wouldn't come to half those things if it wasn't for you and I mean also for moments like we gad earlier … dinner's been fun right? It was really nice wasn't it?"

"I guess …" She admitted a little grumpily although it was nice to hear it from him as well.

"And I hum …" He started before taking a deep breath then tightening his embrace. "… I do sleep better when I'm with you, when you're ... in my arms, even if it's only for a few hours …" He kissed her cheek softly before continuing. "But I understand if you'd rather sleep on your own, I'll just get dressed and leave you to …"

"No …" She cut him off, her voice slightly breathless as his kisses were starting to affect her. Again. "No you can stay, I-I hum … like it better when you sleep here as well."

"That's … good then …" He said with a soft smile before pressing another kiss to her cheek then diverting his kisses to her neck and then her shoulder once more. He was lightly grazing her skin with his teeth before nipping at it with his lips and the feeling was just delightful.

"Are you cold?" He asked as his right hand left her waist to trail across the pebbled skin on her arm. Of course he knew exactly why she was shivering but well, she supposed she could humor him.

"No …" She let out in a sigh and he grinned wickedly.

"Well that's …" His hand trailed back up her shoulder and across her collarbone to finish on her throat. His hand rested there lightly, just enough for her to feel the warmth it radiated without it feeling constricting. "…really good too …" He whispered into her ear and she couldn't do anything else but sigh contentedly as she instinctively fell back against his chest.

Then his other hand left her waist just long enough for him to divest her of her towel, pulling one corner from where she tucked it over her breast and his hips pulling away from her just enough to let it fall to the ground.

"God you're beautiful …" He breathed out.

She looked up into his eyes through the mirror and she was almost overwhelmed by the adoration and lust she found there. The effect she had on him never ceased to amaze her and sometimes left her literally light headed. But looking in the mirror, it wasn't her own attractiveness that stroke her (she'd always been rather confident about her looks but not to the point of looking at herself in the mirror longer than was necessary), but how good they looked together. She'd often dated men that were much taller and bigger than she was and however nice it had felt, there was something incredibly pleasing, even just aesthetically, in the way she fit into his arms just right without feeling like a tiny little thing and didn't have to bend her neck at an extreme angle to kiss him.

Fitz seemed to think the same although he was apparently more interested in how well her breasts fit into his hands. Well, she had to admit every part of her fit rather well in his hands but that just felt fantastic. He was massaging the very sensitive skin at the base of her breasts and flicking her nipples with his thumbs at the same time and it was sending tendrils of heat directly to her center. She pushed her hips back as a reflex and was rewarded with the feeling of his hardening cock against her lower back.

"Fitz …" She sighed, reaching back to curl her hand behind his neck and bring his lips to hers. The angle was a little awkward but they made it work like they always did. He kissed her with a reverence and an urgency that both melted her heart and made the ache between her legs grow tenfold. Feeling almost desperate, she started rolling her hips backwards, letting out a keening noise when one of Fitz's hand left her breast and took residence between her legs. His finger dove between her lips and she mewled as it found her most sensitive bundle of nerves.

"Jemma?" He breathed against her lips when they broke apart and she simply nodded before bending forward, bracing herself on both sides of the sink. His hands slid from her center and her breast to finally grip her bum. For a moment, he seemed frozen in place as his eyes roved over her body and the way she pretty much offered it to him. She looked up at him through the mirror then, giving him an almost pleading look and he was pulled from his daze, his tongue coming out to lick his lips in anticipation. He slipped into her without waiting another second and they both whimpered at the fantastic feeling of his cock filling her so fully. Hand jobs were all very nice and fun but since they stopped using condoms, that first slide was always so intense that she had to admit she would have been a little frustrated to wait until the next day to get there. She often wondered if sex would be this good between them if they were able to see each other more often, if they were, for instance, living much closer to each other and were in a real committed romantic relationship. And every time, she came to the conclusion that she would be willing to take the risk.

Behind her, Fitz pulled back and pushed back in and it did a fantastic job of bringing her back to the moment. She looked back up and met his eyes through the mirror and that sent another rush of white hot pleasure all the way to her core. She liked being able to look into his eyes during sex if the position allowed it but there was something different and completely intoxicating about looking at him that way. Maybe because seeing everything he was doing to her as well as feeling it heightened the sensations. Seeing the way his thrusts made her whole body tremble and her boobs bounce as his hands couldn't decide between gripping them or her hips certainly was deeply erotic but it also felt like it gave them an even stronger connexion. Because it was surely magnifying her arousal but it was also letting her see how tender and loving his gestures always were, as passionate as they could get.

So without ever losing eye contact, even when pleasure became overwhelming, they kept moving together as their moans and groans filled the room and the mirror slowly got covered with the mist created by their labored breathing. And when pleasure was on the verge of becoming ecstasy, Fitz pulled her up and into a fierce hug against his chest and with a few more deep thrusts, they came together in a matter of seconds, crying out each other's name. Unlike Fitz's, her cries weren't muffled into her neck but as chemicals kept rushing into her system as he prolonged their pleasure with more deep slow thrusts, she didn't even try to control herself. It was so good and freeing to let her body express the gratitude she felt for the happiness he was giving her when she couldn't let her brain express her deeper feelings, that she didn't want to deprive herself of it. Although, considering their kind of common conference friend Dr Krueger had the room just next to her, she supposed she wasn't doing much of an effort herself to keep this all private.

Once they came down from this high, they stumbled their way to the bed and from the way he possessively pulled her to him and fell asleep while pressing kisses to her forehead, Jemma could have sworn that something was different, that something had shifted in their relationship and that maybe, they'd finally come to the point where they'd be able to talk, really talk about what this whole thing was. But the next morning, Fitz had to get up extra early to go back to his room and take everything he needed for his lecture and despite having slept like a baby, Jemma was apparently too tired to notice he was leaving. She supposed his decision of not waking her up before leaving could have been motivated by a good intention and didn't mean anything bad but the next evening, he pressed her into a wall the moment they were left alone and however good the next few hours were, there was no more mention of the sweet words they'd exchanged and Jemma thought could lead to something more. And when she left for the airport the last morning of the conference, there was no romantic goodbye kiss or hopeful words, just an almost polite exchange of words about how nice it's been once more and the assurance that they'd see each other at the next conference.

And it was just one of the many times she'd been given hope and been disappointed. And it wasn't even like he was the only one to blame, she had many opportunities to tell him … something, anything, for that thing they had to finally evolve and she never did. So like she already told him, she decided it was time to let it go. The fact that they couldn't seem to find the right moment to really talk probably meant that it wasn't meant to be. The sooner she accepted that, the sooner she would finally, maybe, be able to have a successful relationship with a man.


	6. Chapter 6

It soon became obvious that it was going to be even more complicated than Jemma thought it would.

The first week was still manageable. Between her own work on the dendrotoxine and Fitz having to familiarize with his team and his lab, they barely had to cross paths, which was Jemma's plan really: spend as little time as possible together until she could put behind her whatever was between them and they can act like professionals. So whenever they had to interact, she decided that, considering how swamped with work she was, it was probably alright to send him emails or anyone from her team rather than going to talk to him directly. She didn't know if he came to the same conclusion or if he was just resigned to follow her lead but he didn't try and come to see her either. She supposed she should be grateful but she was a little disappointed that he didn't try harder. Which only made her roll her eyes at herself of course. It was more than time to act like a reasonable adult rather than a horny moody teenager. And even with that less than practical way of communicating, they managed to think of a possible way to use Jemma's revolutionary dendrotoxine with Fitz's no less revolutionary prosthetics.

So of course, this unorthodox way of working together didn't last long. With the second week, came a new heads of departments meeting. Jemma thought it was a waste of time most of the time: an hour hearing about projects she wouldn't be involved in at all when it would have made much more sense to only meet teams she would actually work with. But that was also where Coulson announced that Fitz's prosthetics project would be moved forward along with Jemma's dendrotoxine. So it just didn't make sense anymore to waste time waiting for an answer to her email or wait for someone to come back with an answer when their lab were just next door to each other.

They quickly went from avoiding each other to spending more time together than apart. And she supposed it wasn't so bad except that it was at the same time the most polite and the most tense and uncomfortable work relationship she ever had with anyone. It felt like the simplest "How are you doing?" in the morning or "Having trouble sleeping?" when one of them would yawn could raise even more unexpected tensions, so they just kept any topic non work related to a bare minimum. And everyone noticed of course. No one ever remained with them both more than was strictly necessary.

To the point where after three weeks, Coulson came to see Jemma on one of the rare moments she was working alone. He asked her if there was something wrong with Fitz, if maybe there was something between them he didn't know about that made her uncomfortable. Jemma couldn't possibly tell him everything there was between them but she also knew that she couldn't lie if her life depended on it so she offered him a partial truth. She told him that they used to be rivals at the Academy and that their relationship had always been complicated. He raised a curious eyebrow at that but thankfully didn't ask for more. She assured him that they were adults now and that they'd be able to get over it to work well without holding back and make people around them uncomfortable. Fitz had suggested her dendrotoxine could also be used as something to dull the nerve pain due a loss of limb but also to help attach a prosthetic and reduce the time it takes to get used to it. And of course it was brilliant and if she was being honest, she'd been a little frustrated not being able to talk about it with him as freely as she wanted to.

So, slowly, Jemma started talking more freely and just like he'd been doing since he started in Sci-Tech, Fitz followed her lead. After another week or so, they were back to working the only way they ever knew to work together back at the Academy, which Jemma supposed wasn't so bad at first. But soon, she realized that on top of the childish and, she realized it now, rather harmless bickering and tension there was between them then, there was now the heavy weight of everything that happened between them since then, especially the mess that was their aborted attempt at a romantic relationship.

Working with Fitz was elating, not that it was a surprise to her, but it felt like he'd gotten even smarter since they last worked together and, despite their differences, they were making incredible progress on the project and their enthusiasm seemed contagious for their teams, although they sometimes got strange looks or amused smiles sent their way when they launched themselves into one of their heated discussions. But the moment they strayed even a little towards personal topics, everything went to hell. Jemma was still very mad about him ruining their chance at something that could have been really good so she easily got snappy and cold. Which usually made Fitz equally snappy (he could never manage cold though) or even worse: sad. Because whenever he looked sad, it made her feel guilty and made her want to apologize and hug him. And of course she would remember that wasn't something they were supposed to do anymore and she got mad again because it was his fault.

-0-0-0-

"You can stay and eat here if you like ..." Jemma suggested as she watched Fitz starting to walk out of the room.

She was just enjoying a nice cup of tea on the comfy couch in the rest room before going back to work when Fitz walked in, looked at her with wide eyes like a deer caught in headlights, gave her an awkward little smile and quickly walked to the microwave. He put whatever awful thing he was eating for lunch there, waited two minutes, looking around at everything but her, then took it back and walked back in the opposite direction.

It was ridiculous really. The rest room was for all employees to use freely. It was big and comfortable and since they apparently both found themselves having a really late lunch (even when they spent the day working mostly separately, it seemed that they were still somehow in synch), there was no one else there. The fact that things were so complicated between them didn't mean he should have to eat somewhere not quite as comfortable just because she was here too.

"Oh ..." He let out, clearly startled by her voice. "Oh no I ... I'll just eat in the lab, get back to work faster ..."

He kept looking down and avoiding her eyes and it felt a little hurtful when she was trying to reach out to him and make things better. Did they really only have three default modes? Tearing each other's clothes, going after each other's throat or just avoiding each other completely? It made her heart clench knowing what their situation probably made them missing out on.

"Fitz it's alright to take a break and I ... I don't mind just sharing a lunch break you know ..."

He looked up at her with something akin to hope in his eyes for a second but then he just shook his head.

"Oh that's hum ... that's nice but I really should go, bit behind on my simulations and all but thanks ... See you later."

And with that he made a bee line for the door and was out of the room before she could say anything. This confusion and tension was exhausting. He was the one looking sad every time she got cold or snappy and the moment she tried to make a step towards him, he backed away completely like he didn't really want things to get better.

Sighing, she put her cup on the side table and reached for her phone on the cushion next to her and that's when she noticed it. The weather was getting warmer these days and she'd decided to wear a skirt that morning. It was really quite modest with its knee length and not too tight so it wouldn't rid up more than a few centimeters when she was sitting down. But she didn't realized how much more it would rid up when sitting in one of these big fluffy sofas. It was nothing indecent really, only reaching the middle of her thigh, but knowing Fitz's slight obsession with her legs in a skirt, she suddenly realized he wasn't exactly looking away from her but on the contrary not able to look away from a certain parts of her. And now that she thought about it, the blush on his cheeks was probably not shame for being such a terrible liar but maybe certain memories coming to mind that he deemed definitely not safe to think about in her presence. And now she was the one assaulted with it and of course she was blushing too.

Yes, things were going to be definitely more complicated than she anticipated.

 **Paris biotechnology's annual conference, June 2017**

"You know I love it when you wear skirts?"

"Well you never exactly said it but I kind of noticed, given the fact that it usually ends up pooled around my waist before I can take it off" Jemma replied, trying her best to sound casual, which was a little complicated considering where his hands were at the moment.

She should have been in one of the empty meeting rooms, busy proof-reading her lecture one last time and checking if all her slides were there and in the perfect order. Instead she was in some sort of dark store room filled with everything one expected to find in an hotel: towels, sheets, all kinds of cleaning products and hundreds of tiny bottles of shower gel and shampoo Jemma was terribly tempted to steal despite knowing how non-ecological it was. And instead of working, she was sitting on one of the middle shelves with Fitz standing between her legs and the worst was that his hands caressing her thighs felt so nice that she didn't even feel guilty about it.

"Are you complaining?" He asked, capturing her lips once more before she even had the time to answer and she congratulated herself for choosing not to wear lipstick at all that day.

"I'm just saying you can't keep your hands off me …" She replied breathlessly as they broke apart, playfully nipping at his bottom lip to get a whimper out of him before she let him answer.

"Says the woman pushing a man into a cupboard half an hour before her speech" He grinned, raising a ridiculously triumphant eyebrow and she just shook her head.

"You know I can't be held responsible for my actions when you do that thing on my knee, you started it … and in front of everyone else nonetheless!"

She tried to look indignant but it was hard when all her skin still tingled from it. She didn't know where he learned that trick and with whom and she didn't really want to ask but it felt positively sinful and she couldn't believe he'd done it in public. They were having a slightly boring drink with the organizer of the conference, Mr Lafont, who'd caught them unaware as they were busy bickering about the hotel's architectural style. He'd apparently felt obligated to chime in and regale them with all kinds of supposedly funny anecdotes and informations about the place and Jemma quickly grew bored. Fitz insisted later that it was because Mr Lafont confirmed Fitz's conjonctures and she was a sore looser but that couldn't have been farther from the truth.

Anyway, at some point during the conversation, he'd put his hand on her thigh under the table, which she found kind of sweet for a moment, until he started moving and reached the inside of her knee and started caressing it with the tip of his fingers. Heat had started to pool between her legs almost instantly and she could feel herself blush furiously. He'd done that before and even though she'd never been patient enough to know anyway, she wondered if she'd be able to achieve orgasm just like that if he kept at it long enough. This time, she couldn't exactly take his hand away and straddle him on the spot like she usually did so she politely excused herself and Fitz and told Mr Lafont that Fitz was supposed to help her rehearse her speech one last time.

"Says the woman who suddenly started wearing skirts to every conference …" Fitz replied with a grin as he let out his hand go up until he was palming her arse, squeezing it delightfully.

"Oh so now women are responsible for men objectifying them just because they wear skirts?"

"Only when said woman had been wearing trousers every single time for two years and suddenly starts wearing skirts every time …"

Ugh. Who did he think he was? Thinking she was choosing her clothes according to his tastes and not hers! Okay fine maybe she did a little and it was mostly out of practicality considering their track record but that was no reason for him to assume as much.

"Oh so you've been keeping track of my clothes for years? I'm touched but it's a bit creepy isn't it?" She replied with a wide grin. So she had a very clear image of several of his best suits but only because they fitted him especially well and she had a very good memory. Nothing quite as weird and nothing he needed to know anyway.

"Ugh …fine I can't keep my hands off you!" He sighed, shaking his head in defeat and she grinned even wider. "Do you wanna keep talking or do you want me to take those knickers off and shag you before it's time for your speech?" He asked, obviously a little exasperated but also unable to keep a small grin from tugging at the corner of his lips. She was almost tempted to chastise him for his language -those words were so rare in his mouth- but it was kind of arousing so she didn't say anything.

"You're the one who started it, I was doing fine without tal-oooooh...oh god"

Not waiting for her answer, one of Fitz's hands had slid from her arse to her mound, stroking her through the cotton of her panties. If only he'd thought of doing that sooner, she would have admitted anything. Silly Fitz. He stroked her in a way that was incredibly soft and only served to ignite more fire in her and she could feel how embarrassingly wet her knickers were getting. God she just wanted him inside now. Any part of him would do.

"Just ... take ... them off ..." She whined against his lips before capturing them in a heated and slightly messy kiss that made him chuckle. The berk.

"I'm going to need you to ..." He started as he broke the kiss and attached them back to her neck incredibly gently. She found it sweet that he was mindful enough not to leave marks on her skin knowing she would be on stage in half an hour. "let me move back a bit if you hum ... want me to take them off Jemma ..."

Oh. Of course, as surprisingly acrobatic as he could be, she didn't think Fitz would be able to take her knickers off with her legs around his hips and her hands on his arse. She reluctantly let go, putting her hands behind her to give herself enough leverage to raise her hips and let him finally pull the damn thing off. He did so infuriatingly slowly and she had to bite her lip not to whine in anticipation and frustration. That was, until he suddenly pulled her towards the edge of the shelf and right up against his erection.

A loud moan was ripped from her throat as it hit just the right spot, the rigid hem of his trousers rubbing directly against her clit. She rolled her hips against him for a moment, not caring at all that she was practically getting herself off on his cock. But she soon needed more and her hands went directly for his belt then and she felt like she just couldn't wait any longer, not to mention that they didn't exactly have all afternoon.

"Shhh Jemma!" He whispered, a delighted smile tugging at his lips where they were ghosting hers. "You have to keep quiet, you don't want those old perverts to know what your pleasure noises sound like, they're already ogling you enough as it is."

This brought a smile to her face. He might have said it teasingly but she knew there really was a hint of jealousy in his tone. And it wasn't the first time it happened. She hadn't been with anyone else or went on a single date since they started this affair, and didn't want to, but she didn't know if it was the same for him. They never talked about what this all was anyway so she felt like it wasn't her place to ask. And maybe she was also too scared of what his answer would be to ask him. But when he did things like that, it gave her hope that maybe his answer would be just what she wanted.

"You know I can't Fitz …" She whispered back, sliding her hands down his trousers and was rewarded with a pleasured gasp that made her grin slightly. "So you're gonna have to keep my mouth occupied …"

"Bloody evil and perfect is what you are …"

Half an hour later, Jemma climbed on stage, still a little breathless, and if there were a few raised eyebrows over why someone would talk about deadly viruses mutations with such a beaming smile, Jemma thought she'd done just beautifully. And if Fitz's adoring smile as he looked up at her during the whole thing was anything to go by, he had the same opinion.

 **Sci-tech, New York, June 2018**

"I can't believe I'm telling this to both of you geniuses but, this is stupid and it needs to stop!"

Coulson glared at them from the other side of his desk and Jemma had the feeling that was what it felt like to be called into the principal's office. Back when she was in school, she'd only ever been called to the headmaster's office to be congratulated for her excellent results so the only knowledge she had of what it was like being called in for a bad reason was the unreasonable amount of terrible american teenager TV she watched for months when she was fourteen, with the ridiculous ambition of becoming a real teenager, whatever that meant.

"I'm really sorry we disturbed your meeting, I suppose we didn't realize we got quite so loud, what with all the noise in the room, but Doctor Fitz and I were just discussing a proper name for our first prosthetic since it seems to be well on the way ..."

"Yes, Doctor Simmons and I ..." Fitz cut her off and Jemma did her best not to roll her eyes at him, suspecting that it wouldn't help their case. "... were just disagreeing on that subject but in retrospect I suppose we should have kept our voices down a bit."

"First of all, I don't know if it's supposed to sound respectful or professional or anything else but the whole calling each other Doctor sounds very passive agressive!" Coulson replied, shaking his head in a way that made Jemma feel like he was looking at two fighting siblings, which of course couldn't have been further from the truth considering their history, but it still made her look down in shame. "And second of all, I don't think that ridiculous demonstration of immaturity could be qualified as discussing and disagreeing. Jemma, I heard you say, and I quote, god you're so annoying with your stupid ridiculous names to which Fitz answered YOUR name's stupid and ridiculous..."

Jemma could swear she heard Fitz snicker next to her but she didn't dare look because she'd just roll her eyes all the way to the back of her head then, which, again, wouldn't help.

"An excellent argument really ..." Coulson added, glaring at Fitz, and he seemed to shrink in his chair. "But this has to stop. Several people warned me that you were too young for so many responsibilities but I decided to take the risk and I wasn't disappointed ... but you cannot give them a reason to think they're right by shouting at each other so loud that the whole floor can hear you. Whatever there is between you two, you need to fix it before it starts affecting your work, I don't want to have to fire either one of you ..."

"Oh no there's nothing between us ..."

"... just strong opinions and ..."

"... mostly professional disagreement really ..."

"... doesn't affect our work, in fact ..."

"... we're a bit ahead of schedule and we'll soon ..."

"... be able to build a first prototype."

"Yeah. That." Fitz concluded, turning around to give her a tentative smile.

"Well that's the spirit!" Coulson exclaimed and Jemma heaved a sigh of relief. "Not your explanations because there's obviously more to it. But that super weird finishing each other's sentences thing you just did. That's what I want to see when you work together, not being reminded that my nephews aren't so bad after all!"

"Of course sir" They both replied in synchrony and Jemma could swear she saw a small smirk tug at the corners of Coulson's lips.

"Now go back to work. And it that helps, I get to have the last say on the name of that hand prosthetic anyway."

"But sir ..." Fitz almost whined but Jemma cut him off.

"Of course sir." She said with a pointed stare as she stood up and Fitz reluctantly did the same, nodding his head at their boss as they got out of the room. If only he knew Coulson as well as she knew him, Fitz would know he had nothing to fear, he would probably go for the worst pun Fitz could think of.

Jemma remembered a time where being immature didn't mean shouting at each other and neither of them minded calling each other Doctor. But that time was gone and they had to move on. They couldn't keep acting like they did back at Oxford and they definitely couldn't resolve their growing tensions the way they did so many times so they would have to find another way. Jemma liked to think that they had much more than sex in common at some point. It felt like Fitz understood her better than anyone and she thought they developed some sort of unconventional friendship back then as well. So they would have to remember what brought them together in the first place and how elating they thought it would be to work together again.

Jemma was still mad at Fitz for what he did to their relationship but now that it was too late for that, she knew that she wanted their work relationship to work and to have him in her life, even if it wasn't in the way she thought he might be two months ago.

Taking a deep breath, Jemma gently put a hand on Fitz's arm before he walked away towards his own lab.

"Fitz wait ... I-I'm sorry I said the name was stupid. Let's just ... let's just go back to work and worry about that later, yeah?"

He looked at her with an undecipherable expression for a moment but then he must have decided that her smile and offer of peace were sincere because he smiled back tentatively before nodding.

"That's alright ... and I'm sorry I said your name was stupid, it's a really nice name and you're obviously brilliant." He replied matter of factly and that brought another wider smile to her face. "Actually I hum ... I was going to get a cup of tea before getting back to work ... want to come with?"

"Oh ... of course. Tea sounds nice."

Well, she supposed tea was a good place to start with.

 **Houston, medical technology convention, September 2017**

"I should think i's obvious that this is not that kind of place ..."

"Of course sir, we're very sorry ..." Jemma replied, feeling completely mortified. She was frantically patting her hair and smoothing down her blouse and skirt like there was still time to hide what she was doing a minute ago.

"I didn't expect this from two supposedly respectable scientists ..."

"Yes, we're very very sorry, won't happen again!" Fitz replied with his rather good impression of an American accent and Jemma looked up in surprise. And when the man (She didn't bother to ask who he was. Maybe the hotel manager? Security guy?) turned around for a second, Fitz winked at her. Winked! Despite what he was saying, that situation didn't seem to embarrass him quite as much as it did her. If anything, it seemed to amuse him.

"Well I should hope so but I'm going to have to ask you for your name and room number."

"Why ... what for?" Jemma asked, her voice small and sounding more and more like a teenager who'd been caught in the act.

"This is a quality establishment, you're welcome to stay until the end of the conference but I will ask you to sleep somewhere else if you ever wish to come to the next edition." The man answered, trying his best to keep his voice neutral but with a clear expression of disapproval on his face. If only it was one of those young bartenders or waiters who stumbled upon them, things would have been much different. But this old hag looked to be the kind of man who'd never been young or, well ... younger.

Jemma was about to protest once more, racking her brains for a valid excuse for having been caught in such a compromising position in an, admittedly deserted and dark corner of the bar, but Fitz beat her to it.

"Yeah right, sure thing." Fitz let out and she almost rolled her eyes. He was quite good at that whole American accent but honestly he was overdoing it a bit there. The only thing missing was a cowboy hat and a cigarette and she still didn't see what was the whole point of it. "Service leaves a bit to be desired here anyway ... OH MY GOD IS THAT A RAT?" He suddenly cried out, pointing towards the other side of the bar.

And before Jemma had the time to see anything, Fitz took advantage of the man turning around and taking a few steps back to grab her hand and pull her through the door and into the hallway as he started running. She didn't even know if the man bothered running after them but she could only try to keep up, to the best of her abilities anyway considering the high heels she was wearing. Fitz lead her through a maze of corridors so fast that she lost the notion of where they were and would have had quite a hard time finding her room on her own. He took one last left turn then quickly pulled her through a door leading to a staircase.

"Wait!" She cried out breathlessly. "I cannot run in those!" She added pointing at her feet.

"Oh right ... of course ... sorry!" He replied as he went down to his knees and proceeded to lift her left foot to take her shoe off and then the other, keeping them in one hand as he grabbed her hand to start running again. They went down at least two floors on the thankfully carpeted stairs before she could stop him again.

"Fitz wait!" She let out as a wide smile bloomed on her face despite herself, probably from the adrenaline. "What are you doing?"

"Running away from the hotel police of course!" He replied matter of factly and she burst out laughing. "What?" He asked, smiling just as wide. "I don't want to have to explain to my boss that they have to book me another hotel next year because I've been caught with my hands up your shirt!" He explained and she raised an amused eyebrow at him.

"Honestly, from the way he was looking at me, I think it was the location of my hands that was the biggest problem ..." She grinned and he looked down for a second before grinning back at her.

"Yeah well ... didn't make it any easier to run for sure ..."

She gave him an impish smile (she certainly felt a little bit proud for having such an effect on him) but then she remembered noticing he had a slightly weird way of running and her smile turned wider. His did too and soon they were both laughing loudly. After a moment though, a worried expression replaced the smile on his face and he pushed her out of sight of the closest door and into some sort of alcove carved into the wall between two floors.

"Shhhhh they'll hear us!" He whispered into her hair as he pressed her face into his shoulder to muffle her laughter. Which only made her laugh even harder and awoke her frustrated libido as the delightful smell of his neck invaded her nostrils. It was like it was begging to be kissed and licked and bitten but she refrained herself. For now.

"Fitz I don't even think they're looking for us ..."

"You never know just-just keep quiet for a moment ..." He replied, his voice low and still breathless from running and for someone who loved rules so much and felt so mortified only a moment ago, Jemma found all of this quite ... exciting.

"You know I don't think they're going to put so much effort into trying to find two horny nerds ..." She said, tilting her face up and getting up on her tiptoes until she could get access to his neck after all and nip at what little skin was available to her.

"Jemma ..." He breathed out.

"In the meantime ... if we have to stay hidden here to escape the bad guys, we might as well find something to keep us occupied ..."

"Jemma what do you ... oh fuck!" He cut himself off as she let her hands descend on his bum and pulled him closer, his erection delightfully pressing against her pelvis. His hips rutting against hers almost of their own volition, he put his hands on both sides of her face and pressed his lips to hers in a slow but scorching hot kiss. He licked her lips with the tip of his tongue and she gladly opened her mouth to deepen the kiss. And as he engulfed her in a fiery embrace, all thought of hotel managers and potential shame completely left her mind.

"You know ..." He said when they broke apart for a second. "We're the ones running from the authority ..." He pulled a little further back to look at her, his eyes all mirth and tenderness as he pushed back a strand of her hair that had fallen in front of her eyes. "... so I guess that makes us the bad guys ..."

"Oh really?" She grinned.

"Mmhmm ..." He nodded.

"Then I guess we should really misbehave then ..." She rasped against his lips before capturing them again. Her hand slid down his chest and she grabbed him through his trousers, making him whimper again. She had a job to finish after all so she started to rub him up and down the best she could through the tight fabric of his trousers and even though he tried to weakly protest and say that someone might really be looking for them, he was also groaning into her mouth and pushing his hips against her hand and she knew it wouldn't take long anyway.

As they broke apart for air, he let his forehead fall against hers and looked down, apparently quite fascinated by what her hand was doing. Which she couldn't blame him for, watching his hands work her body was always an incredible turn on. Like when his hand moved up to palm her breast through her shirt for instance, massaging it a little absent-mindedly but with a certain tenderness she found rather endearing.

Deciding to take things to the next step, she took her hand off his cock and he whimpered before he understood what she was about to do. She'd just started undoing his belt when they heard voices a few floors up and Jemma froze. Fitz whimpered again and she shushed him.

"Yeah I saw two people run towards the stairs ... a man and a woman, looking about 25 ... why are you even ..."

Jemma didn't even hear the rest of it as she quickly grabbed Fitz's hand and started running down the stairs again.

"I can't believe they're taking this so seriously!" Jemma let out breathlessly and she knew she should be worried or annoyed but she couldn't keep the wide smile off her face.

They went down another floor and then Jemma pushed the door leading to the rooms. The surest way to lose them was probably to lead them through this ridiculous maze of an hotel. She took a left turn just right out the door and then kept running aimlessly until she found herself facing the ugliest still life painting she's ever seen which meant ...

"My room's just around the corner!" She cried out enthusiastically and he shook his head in amusement before following her.

-0-0-0-

"Phew ... made it!" She grinned as Fitz quietly closed the door behind him.

"I have a feeling you're not quite as horrified as you were earlier ..." He said with a raised eyebrow as he divested himself of his jacket and threw it haphazardly on the armchair next to the window.

"I don't know ... I've never been expelled from any place and it's surprisingly exciting, breaking the rules ..." She let out as she grabbed her shoes from his hands and gave him a quick peck on the lips before going to place them neatly on the shoe rack next to the door.

When she turned back towards him, he was looking at her with such a gentle smile that it made her want to blush and look away but also jump into his arms and kiss him senseless for looking so bloody soft.

"What?" She asked a little shyly.

"Nothing ..." He grinned.

"Seriously, what?" She insisted, trying her best to glare at him considering the circumstances.

"Nothing it's just ... you're really cute when you get all excited like that ..."

"Oh ... really?" She asked through her lashes and she rolled her eyes at herself for fishing for compliments like that but ... oh well ...

"Yeah ... never thought Jemma Simmons of all people would be excited about breaking the rules!"

She huffed in mock indignation.

"I'll have you know that i've been refilling my cup of soda at SciTech's cafeteria several times these past few weeks when I only ever pay for one cup."

"Wow! I bow down in admiration in front of such an impressive criminal mastermind!" He grinned, going down on his knees to actually bow down before her and she burst out laughing as she grabbed his nicely firm biceps to pull him up.

"I guess it has to do with the adrenaline rush and maybe the small release of endorphines that comes from running. Actually, it would be a really interesting experiment to do to find a correlation between ..."

"Hey hey hey don't ruin this with science!" He cut her off, catching her wrists to stop her rambling. She stopped in her tracks and looked to the side where his sinfully long fingers were gently but firmly holding her arms up and she gasped as she felt another unexpected bolt of heat that had nothing to do with the bit of running she'd just done.

"Science never ruins anything ..." She replied, her voice low and a little shaky and he must have picked up on the change of mood because he slowly pushed her into the wall behind her and held her wrists against it with a side smirk. He really did know her well.

"You're completely right so ... do you want to go and steal some lipstick at the supermarket? or find some marijuana?"

She grinned before pecking his lips chastely.

"Tempting ... I'll definitely hold you up to that later ... but for now I'm going to need you to ravish me and then I'll do all kinds of scandalous things to you that would make Mr Crankyface's eyes pop out of his head!"

"Oh really what kind of scandaahahah ..." He groaned as she freed her arms from him and went directly for the button and zipper of his trousers, rubbing against his still fully hard cock as she did so.

"First the ravishing and then we'll get to the scandalous part!" She admonished as she pushed down his trousers and pants and immediately went for the zipper of her skirt, pushing it down her hips along with her knickers.

Fitz, on the the other hand, was looking at her with eyes wide as saucers and not moving quite as much as she expected him to.

"Right ... it's just ... I've been hum ..."

"hard?" She provided with a grin.

"Yeah ... for quite a while and I'm afraid I won't last quite long enough for you to hum ... be ravished to completion?" He finished sheepishly. Would there ever be a time he'd stop being so shy about saying the words? Not that she really wanted him to, it was actually rather endearing in a strange way but she just wondered if he was always like that or if he just wasn't comfortable enough with her.

"Oh ..."

"Yeah ... sorry ..."

Tilting her head to the side, she gave him a once over, from his lean legs to the nice structure of his shoulders and chest and stopping a little longer around his middle, the sight of his hard cock standing at attention sending another bolt of heat to her center, making her clit throb in anticipation.

She pulled him into another heated kiss, going after his tie and shirt and, as always when he seemed to be at a loss for what to do, he followed her lead, deftly taking care of the buttons of her shirt. Soon they were finally naked and Jemma pushed him until his knees hit the edge of the bed. She gave one last push and he fell back, ending up sitting there and looking up at her in slight confusion. Before he could say anything, she fell to her knees between his legs and took hold of his cock. He was already leaking precum so she gently rubbed the head of his cock to get her hand pleasantly slick before stroking down firmly once, then up, quickly picking up the rhythm she knew worked best for him.

"Jemma?" He whimpered.

"Mmmhmm?" She hummed as she looked up from his cock to look into his eyes.

"I-I hum ... I don't think this will help making me last ..." He managed to rasp breathlessly.

"I know ... I just thought we should get you sorted first and then I'm sure you'll think of a very scandalous and imaginative way to ravish me properly ..." She said, her voice barely more than a whisper, biting her lips at the thought.

"You're hum ... you're very committed to that whole hum ... misbehaving thing ..."

"You have no idea ..." She grinned and that's when she added a little twist to her wrist and he lost the ability to speak.

She run her fist up and down his length, enjoying his little whimpers and his moans and the way his eyes kept fluttering close as pleasure overwhelmed him. Soon, she felt his cock twitch and his breathing become even more ragged. He rasped out her name in warning and she knew he was about to come. he really wasn't lying about not being able to last. The sound of her hand moving over his slick cock and their almost equally panting breaths were intoxicating and she pressed her legs together to rein in her arousal. She had no doubt that he would make it good for her but she really hoped it would come sooner rather than later. She gripped him tighter and stroked him faster, licking her lip in arousal, and a few seconds later, he groaned and finally spilled his release on her hand and wrist. It was warm and sticky and not exactly the best sensation but when she looked back up at him, his pupils were blown wide in arousal, his lips parted as he watched her gently pump the last remains of pleasure from his cock and it made her want him even more.

She grabbed a tissu from the night stand to clean up her hand and that seemed to get him out of his daze. He bent forward and pulled her up until he could press his lips to hers, pushing his tongue between her lips, tangling it with hers in a tantalizing way.

"Your turn ..." He breathed out as they broke apart.

"What ... ooww" She cut herself off with delighted giggles as he pulled her to him and rolled them over until he was on top of her across the bed. He kissed her lips softly once before starting his slow descent towards his main goal, pulling at one nipple and sucking on it hungrily before letting it go and running his tongue across her toned stomach as his hands went to her thighs, pulling them up and over his shoulders.

"Scandalous enough for you?" He asked with a crooked grin, his breath fanning over her swollen folds.

"I don't know ... do you think they're still looking for us while you're doing ... this?" She asked, her eyes full of mirth and desire.

"Absolutely ... they might even be getting close ..." He replied, his mouth ghosting the lips of her sex. "So I might as well get on with it before they send us to hotel jail ..."

"Oh so you think they would go that far? Not just ... ooooh"

He ran his tongue up her folds and that was the last time she was able to form a coherent thought.

-0-0-0-

The next morning, Fitz went back to his room to pack his bags as it was fortunately the last night of the conference. They met in a darkened corner of the entrance hall of the hotel twenty minutes later and watched a few people come and go, seeing no trace of the man that supposedly chased them the previous night.

"So ..." Jemma whispered. "Everything's already been paid in advance so we just have to wait for the receptionist to be busy, walk up to his desk, put our key cards back in the box and walk out of there clear and free ..." She explained, her tone dead serious until she turned back to Fitz, standing right behind her and frowned in slight confusion when she noticed his small grin. "What?"

"Do you think it's all really necessary? The guy's probably gone back home now ..."

"Well yeah ... but he might have told the people at the reception desk what we look like. Don't you think?" She asked, the seriousness in her tone replaced in part by the same feeling of excitement as the previous night.

"Sure he did!" Fitz replied in a patronizing tone but before she could glare at him, he added: "Last night was a lot of fun, yeah? Not just the hum ... the sex but ... everything else."

His expression was incredibly soft once more, less guarded than he usually was during the day. It was still very early and he looked terribly sleepy and, not for the first time, she wished they had a little more time together before they had to go their own way. She wanted to snuggle to his side until he opened his arm for her and engulfed her into that big and incredibly fluffy looking cardigan he was wearing. They could even have a nap, not long, just an hour or two to enjoy each other a little longer.

But now was not the time for that. Their nightly activities had left them rather weary and they'd slept as long as they could before having to wake up and go to the airport. Their planes being leaving at almost the same time, they'd decided to share a cab.

"Yes it really was. Crime really is much funnier than I thought it would!" She replied and he grinned before turning her around completely and pulling her into a kiss that was a little more daring and more heated than she thought possible from someone who looked so sleepy just a moment ago.

"One last crime before we go ..." He whispered against her lips when she raised an eyebrow at him and she chuckled softly.

"Right ... Shall we?" She said, reluctantly disentangling herself from him.

"Lead the way Bonnie!"

She didn't get all the hugs and snuggles her heart desired so ardently and certainly not the romantic airport kiss the teenager in her expected but he let her put her head on his shoulder in the cab and rested his own on top. And she supposed that was a start.


	7. Chapter 7

**Sci-tech, New York, July 2018**

It started all over again with tea breaks. Every day they worked together, which was almost everyday these days, it was an unspoken agreement that they would have their afternoon tea break together. Wether it also served as late lunch on most days or was just a ten minutes tea break, whenever they reached a good stoping point, one of them would simply say: "Tea?" and then they would walk together to the break room. Sometimes, when the day or week had been especially tiring, they would enjoy their tea in a silence that was no longer uncomfortable, sitting together on the couch at a reasonable distance from each other, sharing only a small smile once in a while. Some days, they were so focused on one specific part of their project that the conversation would just follow them to the break room. As interesting as those conversations were, they didn't really feel like a break and Jemma would, most of the time, end these days feeling more exhausted than ever and wishing she'd have the arms of a boyfriend to come home to. The following day wasn't usually the best between her and Fitz and he'd apparently noticed a pattern because he'd taken on the habit of bringing her tea on the way to his lab and leaving her alone until they had to work together or she was the one to ask him to come for a tea break.

But on some days, the conversation strayed towards something, if not overly personal, that at least wasn't about the work they were doing together at the moment. These were the ones she liked best because it reminded her of all those evenings and nights spent together and the easiness with which they talked about so many things. And today was one of them it seemed.

"Fitz that's brilliant!" She declared enthusiastically, putting down the paper she'd been reading for the past fifteen minutes and looking up at Fitz who was just finishing his sandwich and looking as nervous as if she was one of his professors and he was back in university. Of course she'd have to give it more time and read it more thoroughly a second and maybe a third time but this quick reading was enough to see how brilliant it was.

"Yeah?" He simply asked, sounding relieved as a small smile tugged at his lips.

"Of course it is!" She rolled her eyes. "Why hasn't it been published yet? It says here you wrote it six years ago"

"Yeah yeah, it's just hum …" He seemed to hesitate. What kind of embarrassing reason could there have been to stop him from publishing it and telling her why at the same time? "My hum … contract at the time forbid me to publish anything and after that, I never took the time to get back to work on it, correct it and include the progress that's been made in the field since."

"Oh … well I think it's really good that way but if you want to, I could take a better look at it and give you notes on it … if you want to …"

She knew she should have sounded more confident. She supposed that was a perfectly normal thing to do for two colleagues who trusted each other but she couldn't help wondering if they were there yet: working on something together that didn't have anything to do with their current work.

"Yeah I'd like that." Fitz replied immediately. It felt like he was just waiting for her to ask and it made her lips pull up of their own volition. It was nice to know one's opinion mattered and Fitz had been such a delight to work with these past weeks that it often made her wish they'd been mature enough back in Oxford to realize they didn't need to be rivals but could actually work so much better together than apart.

"Good … good then. I don't know when I'll have the time for it but I promise I'll take a closer look and give you back some notes then" She replied and he chuckled.

"Don't worry there's no rush. It waited for six years, I think it can wait for a little longer. But thank you Dr Simmons!" He grinned.

"You're welcome Dr Fitz!" She grinned back. Somehow since that time they'd been called into Coulson's office, they started using it as some sort of private joke and it even did a good job defusing the tension several times. Whenever the conversation started to get a little tense, one of them would use the other's title and despite the level of annoyance they felt for each other at the moment, it would always bring the beginning of a smile to their lips. After that, it was usually hard to keep arguing and it would end up in another tea break. It was a good system they'd developed and it was working really well.

Remembering that she still hadn't touched her current mug of tea, she grabbed it, took a sip and her face turned into an exaggerated grimace at how cold it's become while she was reading Fitz's paper. He chuckled and she gave him a half hearted glare.

"I can make some more if you like" He proposed, tilting his head towards the state of the art super precise tea kettle Fitz had brought weeks ago after she complained that the water was always either too hot or not hot enough during one of their first tea breaks together. Tea tasted so much better since then that it was hard to refuse.

"Ah, yes please"

As Fitz stood up and started to prepare tea in that very specific way that seemed to be almost a ritual for him, Jemma couldn't help wondering about that mystery employer whose name he never mentioned and who apparently was scary enough to forbid Fitz to ever talk about whatever he worked on for them.

"So hum …" She started as she stood up as well and came to stand next to the counter. "Don't feel obligated to answer if you don't want to but … why weren't you allowed to publish a paper on space time? Did you work on time travel or something like that back then?" She asked with a teasing smile as though not to make him feel too pressured to answer.

"No of course not!" He chuckled. "If such a thing was possible, I would have used it by now and some things would be different …" He trailed off, giving her a little side glance as he kept most of his focus on making tea. She supposed it was better for their work relationship to keep those things he could have done differently, unsaid. Maybe one day, they'd be able to talk about it without her stomach twisting as she thought about what could have been, but today was not this day. "But time is fixed so obviously it's not!" His tone was lighter and more teasing once more so she chuckled and decided to get back to what she really wanted to ask him in the first place.

"So hum … what I really wanted to ask in the first place was really: who did you work for all those years?"

He finally turned around to look at her, his eyes a little wide, almost like he was scared.

"What I mean is that, after Oxford I didn't hear about you for years, haven't seen you at any conference, didn't see your name pop up anywhere in any science or tech magazine and I found it weird. You finished top of your class, you obviously had a brilliant career ahead of you. So hum … I kind of had this theory that you went to work for the government or some secret services … am I wrong?"

The look he gave her then was all the answer she needed really.

"No … you're not wrong" He simply said after a moment of what looked like intense internal debate.

"So even after all this time, you're not allowed to talk about it? Is that it?"

He seemed to sigh in relief, glad that she understood his position without him having to try and find what words he was allowed to use.

"Yeah … no … I'm not even sure I'm supposed to keep it a secret anymore but those are scary people and I … honestly I'd rather not think about it anymore, it wasn't hum … pleasant, not at the end at least."

"Oh … that bad?"

"Yeah … they lured me in with super advanced equipment and limitless fundings and at first, it was fantastic. I've worked on things I could never put my hands on in the private sector: super advanced planes and hum ... other things. But at some point, they started talking about weaponry but it was too late to back out and I still had almost two years on my contract … and well, that's why I took the job at MaxIndustries without bothering to read everything in details. I know it was incredibly stupid and I will probably regret it for the rest of my life, along with … other decisions … but I-I just couldn't work one more day for them than I was forced to …"

Jemma noticed his hands shaking a bit as he handled their mugs and he had such a haunted look that she didn't even dare imagine what he'd been forced to work on all those years. Feeling her heart ache for him, she gently took the mugs from his hands and put them back on the table as they waited for the tea to brew. When their hands touched, for what felt like the first time in ages, he looked up at her in surprise and she wondered if he felt the same spark of electricity that passed between them. Feeling a little speechless, she just gave him a small squeeze before letting go and a soft smile, which he reciprocated after a moment.

Fitz did mention wanting to be quickly out of his previous job when he signed in for MaxIndustries but she was so sad and angry at the time that she didn't really stop to think about it. But now that things were better between them, she was starting to have a better picture of what life had been like for him all this time. Surely he'd been a little careless but he was a young and these people shouldn't have been able to take advantage of that to make him do things that were against his principles. They should have realized how lucky they were to have such a brilliant mind at their disposal and use it to create beautiful things. It wasn't the first time she heard a story like that and it made her sad every time. She supposed she'd been lucky at SciTech and she realized that she was now sincerely happy that he worked here too. The project they were working on was truly revolutionary and it was going to help so many people. Hopefully it would help balance out all the bad he had to create against his will.

"I-I'm really sorry Fitz, about that and hu ... everything you had to go through."

He looked at her with a grateful smile but also a little frown. With everything that did happen, she supposed it was fair to wonder what she actually included in "everything".

"I don't think I ever said it but I'm really sorry you had to abandon your drones, I know how much you loved them but, given the circumstances, I think you did the right thing. You're a good person Fitz and you couldn't have lived with yourself if you acted any differently."

"Yeah you're probably right … I just … I wish I'd been more careful and … didn't make such a mess of everything ..." He trailed off as he looked back down at their mug. It felt like their relationship was mending these past weeks but it was still fragile and they had some sort of silent agreement (apparently they had a lot of those) not to openly talk about what their relationship had been for over a year. But you couldn't erase something like that so easily and sometimes one of them said something and they would look at each other and immediately know they both had the same memory attached to it. And even though they tried their best not to touch each other, it didn't mean she didn't notice his scent when they were working close together or his longing gaze on her neck when she brought her hair up in a ponytail. But it was the first time she heard him mention with words how bad it turned out in the end. And maybe it was because she already felt so sympathetic for him at the moment or because her own sadness and anger was starting to fade away, but she was finally realizing how the whole thing had affected him. Wether it was entirely his fault or it was mostly bad luck and bad timing, it didn't change the fact that their break-up, if they were ever a couple, had in fact been the cherry on the terrible cake that was his life then. He had to leave his city, his friends and colleagues, as well as his beloved creation in the hands of the company who betrayed him, and start a new life in a new city, only to realize that the only friend he had there and hoped would be more than that, wouldn't even be his friend anymore.

She felt such a rush of affection and guilt for giving him such a hard time that she had to fight hard to stop herself from taking him in his arms. However badly she wanted to do it, she felt like it wasn't the time or place and it certainly wasn't safe. If he ever looked at her with those big puppy eyes of his while she was in his arms, there was no knowing what she'd be tempted to do to soothe him and make him feel better.

"Fitz … I don't think you make a mess of everything. I think you're doing a lot of good here and you will keep doing it and hu … for what it's worth, I-I hu … I'm really glad you're here …"

"You are?" He asked, his voice so small and in the same time so full of hope that it pulled at her heartstrings once more.

"I am …"

"Good then" He said before finally pouring tea in their mugs and adding just a half sugar cube and a splash of milk before giving it to her. It was perfect of course, just like she liked it. "Do you want to have lunch tomorrow? Together?"

"You mean like we do pretty much all the time anyway?" She teased as she scrunched up her nose, not exactly knowing what he was on about.

"Yeah. Except we'll have lunch even if we don't work together when it's time for lunch. And also we actually talk about it beforehand and decide to do it because we want to and don't act like it's improvised or we just don't have anyone else to have lunch with."

His tone was a very strange mix of confidence, decisiveness and tentativeness. Like he knew deciding to have lunch with a colleague normally was a very mundane thing to do but could mean a lot more for them. It meant that they were ready to admit to wanting to spend time with each other and that they actually still appreciated each other. She thought it's been rather obvious these past few weeks but saying it was another thing entirely. And it certainly was rather new for them, the champions of terrible communication.

"Fitz, it would be really nice to have lunch with you tomorrow."

After that, lunch on Friday became their new tradition. Wether it was at noon or four in afternoon and wether it was a sandwich eaten in ten minutes in the rest room or a pizza at the small restaurant just across the street, they always made it. It felt safe but it was also new and nice and exciting and Jemma wouldn't have missed it for the world.

 **Sci-tech, New York, August 2018**

"Annnnd done! I win!" Fitz cried out, letting himself fall against the back of his chair with a huge grin on his face.

"Fitz you do know this is not a competition right? We're supposed to be working together …" Jemma replied, trying to hide her own smirk.

"I know … but I still finished first …"

"Maybe but it doesn't matter because it's not a competition unless we say it is and anyway …" She took a pause for effect as she turned her screen in his direction. "… I finished ten minutes ago! So, technically, I win!" She grinned and he shook his head in disbelief.

"And what proof do you have that you didn't just finish this? You were still typing like two seconds ago!"

"Look at the last time it's been synchronized. It was exactly eleven minutes ago. See?" She pointed to the far left corner of her screen. "And I've been typing because I was waiting for you and didn't want to put pressure on you so I took this opportunity to finish reading and taking notes on your paper. Which means that not only am I the fastest and most efficient employee but I'm also a very helpful and selfless colleague so …"

Fitz sat back in his chair once more, this time crossing his arms over his chest petulantly as he glared at her. But she could see how conflicted he was between wanting to find a way to still win and his curiosity about what more she had to say about his paper.

"Well it's not a competition Simmons!" He finally said and she rolled her eyes all the way to the back of her head.

"Ugh Fitz!"

"But" He cut her off before she could say anything else. "If it was, I suppose you'd be the winner."

She grinned triumphantly and he stood up, slightly bowing before her with a teasing smirk but she didn't care that he wasn't serious about it because she still won and she definitely liked that new dynamic between them a lot.

"So how about you tell me all about it over a cup of tea and then we can call it a day and go home before sunset for once?" He proposed. They'd been working so closely together lately that it didn't even occur to her anymore to pack up and leave before he was finished as well. And yet, once they were done, there were very few things she liked more than having one last cup of tea in his company and talking about everything and nothing as they made their way out of the building.

"Oh you're right, it'll be nice to feel sun rays on my skin for once. Feels like it'll be autumn soon already and I haven't been in the sun more than ten minutes. Actually, I think I'm gonna walk home!" She declared enthusiastically, feeling pretty good about the idea since it would both work as her daily vitamin D intake and make her feel a little less guilty for not going to the gym all week.

"Oh good idea! I'll come with!"

"Oh" She let out, surprised, as she turned around to look at him. They'd been spending almost all they work days together and more and more of their lunch breaks in the last few weeks but they never actually did anything outside of SciTech, except the occasional lunch across the street. Honestly, it was nothing big and she didn't even know where he lived so they might only walk a few minutes together, but it still felt important somehow, like finally taking one more step towards finding a balance in this relationship that's always been so complicated when it could have been so wonderful.

"Never mind ..." He started before she had the time to give a proper answer. He must have mistaken her surprise for reluctance as he chuckled and tried to make light of the situation. "You had enough of me today, you don't want me ruining your little vitamin D therapy with all my talks of space time and …"

"No no no!" She cut him off before he could descend into yet another bout of self deprecation. "Of course you can come with …"

"No it's alright, you don't need to …"

"No really, that'd be nice …" She cut him off once more, taking the few steps separating them and tentatively squeezing his shoulder. He raised his eyebrow in slight disbelief and she rolled her eyes fondly. "Really Fitz!" She insisted.

"Right … good then"

A small smile tugged at his lips when he looked down where her hand was still on his shoulder. She blushed as she quickly took it away, pretending to smooth down non existing wrinkles. It'd be really nice if the next step in their relationship was to stop being so bloody awkward about everything. She wished they could offer to spend time together or share innocent touches without it feeling like there was some hidden meaning behind it. Well, she just had to give them time, time for the feelings and memories to fade away. In the meantime, they could always keep teasing each other at least.

"Also …" She started with a mischievous grin. "… it's going to last much longer than the 10 minutes it takes to have a cup of tea to tell you everything that's wrong with your paper!"

"Oh really? So what happened to it being so brilliant?"

"Oh it is brilliant … for a sixteen years old …" She grinned and he rolled his eyes at her.

She took one last look at the room to make sure everything was in its place then took her bag and jacket and started walking towards the door. Fitz opened it and moved to the side to let her go first. He'd always done that, even back when they were bitter rivals in Oxford and he was only a teenager, so she could only imagine that it was something his mum had taught him from a young age. It was a tad exaggeratedly chivalrous and simply holding the door for her would have been enough but she always found it kind of charming in a very old school way. It never failed to make a small smile tug at her lips that he did that even when they were in the middle of a very heated conversation.

"Alright then Doctor Doctor Simmons, tell me how much better you think it could be then!" He said, locking the door behind him and lightly pushing her towards the break room with his hand on the small of her back. That specific habit of his had come much later and had only made a comeback very recently as they started to get a little bit more comfortable with each other. If she was completely reasonable, she should have told him to stop because for something so small, it felt way too nice when he did it. But she managed to convince herself that it would only be more awkward to make him notice it when he seemed to do it so absent-mindedly. And well, she just wasn't strong enough to let go of that last bit of them just yet.

-0-0-0-

"Sometimes I really don't understand you Fitz!"

"Ugh don't be so dramatic Simmons!" Fitz shrugged and he turned to look at her as they waited at the crosswalk.

"Not but seriously how can you appreciate a show like Doctor Who with such a definitive opinion on the feasibility of time travel?"

"Well because it IS a show Jemma, it's fiction. Honestly if I can accept the fact that there is an immortal race of aliens, I can admit time travel as well. I mean you've read everything Terry Pratchett ever wrote and I think you have a pretty firm opinion about the Earth not being flat, don't you?" He grinned, putting his hand on the small of her back once more to incite her to start walking again. Did he really do it so absent-mindedly or did he actually do it on purpose to confuse her and win the argument?

"It's not the same, The Discworld isn't Earth and it is set in a world where magic exists so anything is possible. Not to mention that most books are mockeries of our world or existing books, it shouldn't be taken seriously."

"Oh so that means I should assume the show's creators were aiming for credibility when they created aliens taking the form of stone angels that kill people when they blink?" He raised an eyebrow.

Hu. She supposed he had a point.

"Ugh fine. I know Karen Gillian's the only reason you started watching the new series anyway!"

Fitz grinned as he shook his head in amusement, but was smart enough not to say anything about the little hint of petty jealousy in her voice.

They walked in companionable silence for a few minutes, enjoying the slowly changing colors of the sky and in the trees, feeling refreshed by the light breeze that had started blowing as they were leaving SciTech. Autumn really was on the way but it wasn't so bad after all, she liked it better than summer in New York. It reminded her of home.

"So. What else is there to change in my paper? What needs to be corrected to fit Doctor Jemma Simmons' standards of excellence?"

"Oh that was pretty much it actually ..."

"What? Really?"

"Well yeah! Why? Is that so surprising?" She asked, frowning. She thought Fitz knew his own value. At least when it came to work.

"So you just want me to correct one or two grammatical mistakes and change a few pompous turns of phrases and that's it?"

"Well yeah!" She sighed. Honestly what was so surprising? She'd already told him how brilliant she thought it was and it wasn't like science had made so much progress in that field in the years since he first wrote it!

"So what about "oh you made so many mistakes it's going to take the rest of the day to tell you about it?"' Fitz replied using an exaggerated falsetto to affect her English accent.

"Ugh Fitz!" She cried out, swatting his arm for good measure, which only made him grin as he pretended to be hurt. "I hate it when you use that voice, that's not even close to how I sound! How can you do such a convincing American accent and be so bad at mine when you were born in the UK?"

She glared at him, knowing she wasn't exactly convincing when it was so hard to keep a smile from tugging at her lips when HE smiled like that, the mirth crinkling the side of his eyes, making them sparkle even more than they already were in the soft light of the early evening sun.

"Oh I can do a fantastic English accent, it's just so much funnier to see you fume when I don't get it right!"

He moved out of the way before she could bump her shoulder into his, chuckling as she rolled her eyes.

"See? That's exactly why I said that earlier" She concluded.

"Said what?"

"That your paper needed so many changes when it's already almost perfect!" He frowned. "Because we always tease each other about everything Fitz!" She explained. "I thought it was obvious that it was only that …"

She turned to look at him as they stopped in front of her building, smiling fondly as realization dawned on his face. He shrugged, giving her a sheepish little smile.

"Yeah it's just … we haven't always been the best at communicating so …"

"Oh …"

A strange kind of silence settled between them, heavy with all the things his sentence entailed. A month ago, she couldn't have stopped herself from reminding him that he'd been the one to hide things from her and lie to her. But it felt like she was finally in a place where she could have a more objective way of seeing all this and realize that they'd both been terrible at this and they were both responsible for making a mess of things. Maybe if she'd told him sooner, a year ago or even back when they were sixteen, how she felt about him, things could have gone differently.

"Well … we're a little bit better now, yeah?" She smiled tentatively and his face relaxed.

"Yeah … so hum shall we?"

"Oh hum actually this is me …" She replied, nodding towards the dark red wooden door up the small flight of stairs behind her.

"Oh right …" He said, seeming a little surprised at the time when he looked at his watch. Time did seem to pass faster when they were talking. "I'll let you go home then!"

"Do you still have a long way to go?"

"A bit but …"

"I mean I don't even know where you live …"

She knew he's lived in a hotel for at least the first two or three weeks because his coming to New York was so sudden but she hoped he'd found an apartment of his own since then.

"Hum I hu-I live at the corner of sixth and main, 's nice neighborhood, really nice pub across the street, not that I really …"

"Fitz!" She cut him off and he shrugged sheepishly, knowing exactly what she was going to say. "You should have turned left at least fifteen minutes ago! Why didn't you say anything? I just figured we lived really close or I would have …"

"That's alright …" He smiled. "It's just … it was nice, didn't want to stop the conversation yet and it's not like I have anything exciting waiting for me at home … except Snow …"

"Snow?" She frowned and he chuckled.

"The neighbor's cat. Keeps sneaking into my apartment through the fire escape. I brought him back to her like six times but apparently she's even less at home than I am and Snow's pretty cuddly so …"

Fitz shrugged a little sheepishly once more and Jemma couldn't help smiling fondly. This was all very sweet and very much like this new version of Fitz she got to discover during the year they kind of spent together: walking an extra half hour just to speak with her and taking care of a cat that wasn't even his own because however grumpy Fitz could come off, she knew he had in fact always craved the affection he didn't receive when he was younger, even coming from a cat. A cat she was kind of jealous of since he was allowed to come to his place and cuddle all he wanted with Fitz without having to give an explanation.

"Oh Fitz …" She let out, squeezing his shoulder affectionately. She very badly wanted to invite him in for a drink or dinner so that they could carry on with their conversation even if it strayed from science to science-fiction once more. She'd missed these long nights spent with him talking about absolutely everything that crossed their minds. But back then, there had been no physical boundaries between them and if her hoping that this cat owning bitch was a very old lady had reminded her anything, it was that she wasn't quite ready to be alone with a very cuddly Fitz in a very private and non-professionnal setting. They were finally friends now and with time, she was confident that she would be able to put those pesky romantic feelings and memories aside, as long as she didn't mess it all up by acting selfishly.

Fitz seemed to come to the same conclusion because he was the one to break this new silence before she ended up changing her mind completely. Her hand was still on his shoulder and from the way she'd taken one more step towards him without even noticing it, her body wasn't exactly on the same page as her brain.

"Well, I should go then, leave you to enjoy an evening at home for once." He said, giving the hand on his shoulder a little squeeze that sent a delicious shiver down her spine before taking a step back and starting to turn around to walk back the way they came from. She stopped him before he could though. Maybe some feelings were better left unsaid for now but some things needed to be said if this new friendship was going to be successful.

"Thanks for walking me home Fitz, that was really sweet of you." She smiled and then tentatively went on her tiptoes to press a quick kiss to his cheek. "Good night Fitz" She said before finally turning around to walk up the stairs.

"Good night Jemma …" He said barely loud enough for her to hear as he started walking away. She waited ten seconds once she was up the stairs, her keys in hand, before she dared turning around to watch him walk away … just in time to see him turn around as well and flash her a big smile. Was she imagining things or was that smile incredibly knowing? Well. At least, from this distance, he probably couldn't see how much it made her blush.

 **Tokyo, science and development convention, July 2017**

"I can't believe you have a playstation in your room!"

"Fitz …"

"And I think that room's even bigger than my flat …"

"Fiiitz"

"You're not even speaking at the conference this time, I have one of the best slots and my whole room could fit in your bathroom …"

"Fitz!" She cried a little louder, letting one hand go up and behind his neck to pull his lips back to hers just where they should be. Nipping at his bottom lip, she quickly managed to get his attention back. She slipped her tongue into his mouth and enjoyed the little whimper he let out as her other hand gripped his bum and pulled him deeper inside her. His mind might be a little unfocused but his body quickly picked up where he left off. He started thrusting his hips in that lazy but sinfully deep and delightful motion, with one hand on her bum holding her leg high around his hip and the other close to her face on the pillow. He kept kissing her deeply until air become a necessity and he broke the kiss. He buried his face in her neck and she couldn't help giggling as his beard deliciously tickled the soft skin there. The giggling quickly subsided though when he started talking again, replaced by a deep sigh, but not the good kind.

"It's just … they're making a lot of money thanks to my drones and I thought they could show their appreciation a little bit more and …"

"Fitz do you want to stop?"

"What? No! Why would I…"

"Because I feel like you're not one hundred percents into this …" She cut him off with a raised eyebrow and an expression as severe as she could muster considering the wonderful things he was still doing inside her despite his head not exactly being into it.

He grinned then and she knew exactly what he had in mind.

"Really? Cause I feel like I couldn't be more into-"

"Fitz don't!" She warned and his grin turned a little sheepish but didn't quite completely disappear. "You know what I mean! It's your head that's not into it. So if you wanna stop and play a game of FIFA or whatever instead, I cannot blame you, I'm only a woman after all, how could I compete with a video game console and a giant mmmph-"

She had to admit that kissing to silence each other really was the superior way to stop an argument before it even started. His tongue swiped into her mouth as the rhythm of his thrusts picked up in intensity and speed and she finally started to feel the coil of an incoming orgasm in her belly. She moaned into his mouth and he broke the kiss, looking down at her with a mix of smugness and fondness.

"You're sexy when you're jealous …" He grinned and she rolled her eyes (partly in annoyance, partly because his fingers were grazing the skin of her inner thigh and dam it, that idiot could really multitask when he wanted to)

"I'm not jealous I just think it's only polite to-"

"And I'm sorry, I'm a hundred percents focused on this now, you're much better than any video game console or any other feature any hotel room in the world could have …"

Now she was confused. Because his tone was sweet but the meaning of his sentence … Should she feel flattered or completely objectified?

"'Cause you have this …" His hand went up to palm her breast, his thumb delicately swiping her nipple.

"Oh so is that all I am-"

"And this …" He cut her off, placing a kiss on her chest, just over her heart, his eyes even softer than the gesture itself.

Oh.

"And this …" He went up, kissing her lips tenderly. "… and this …" He kissed each of her eyes, closed in near ecstasy as he kept moving inside her, hitting that special spot with each deep thrust. "… and this!" He finished, kissing her temple.

"My forehead?" She asked, her eyes shooting open as she looked up at him in confusion and he chuckled.

"Your beautiful brain!" He replied matter of factly.

"Oh …"

Why was she mad at him again?

Letting his head fall against her shoulder once more, he finally focused back on their lovemaking completely. He nipped at the soft skin there, gently enough not to leave marks but really quite delicious enough to send more tendrils of heat down to her core.

"More!" She rasped against his ear and even though she didn't know exactly herself what she wanted him to do, once more he got it just right.

He let go of her breasts and hooked his arms behind her knees, opening her up to him even more and changing the angle just so. Gripping the sheets as hard as she could for a bit of leverage, she started moving her hips up to meet his. He groaned when she tightened her vaginal muscles around him and his pace became even faster, almost punishing, and that was just what she needed.

"Fiiitz yes …" She whispered as shivers started running from her head, down her spine and straight to her toes, curling at her approaching release. He lost control then and bit and sucked at the sensitive spot below her ear until she was finally gasping his name in pleasure, whimpering as his cock kept hitting that fantastic place inside her, making her feel like the rolling waves of ecstasy would never end. Tonight had been very nice as always but the intensity of her orgasm took her by surprise, especially since she didn't think he did anything special this time. She was in such a state of blissful ecstasy that she didn't think her brain was functional anymore and she supposed it was only muscle memory when her hands moved from the sheets to his bum. There were fewer things she liked better after such a fantastic orgasm than to feel the very nicely developed muscles of his arse as he kept moving inside her, the feeling sometimes enough to bring her to orgasm a second time. Not this time though because, as she pressed him even deeper, she could feel him tense and it took him only a few more thrusts for him to release inside her. He groaned as he bit at her neck once more before falling into her arms, completely spent and like a dead weight and she couldn't help chuckling.

He released her legs but she didn't let him go, hooking them low under his arse instead with her arms around his shoulders. She liked that sensation almost as much as a second orgasm: his overheated skin pressed against hers, his intoxicating scent and his heart beating steadily in his chest. She sometimes wondered why she'd been so adamant about having lovers that were so much bigger than she was in the past. Fitz was just the right size to blanket her in his warmth without ever crushing her and she never wanted to let go of that delightful sensation.

"Mmmmhhh …" She sighed but he mistakenly took what was pure contentment for discomfort and started moving out and away from her. She would have held him back but she didn't want to appear too clingy. What they'd been doing these past six months had certainly been really really nice in so many ways but she still didn't know what they were supposed to be to each other now. Recurrent one-night stands? Friends with benefits? But could two people who'd never been friends become friends with benefits? Was there such a thing as enemies with benefits? But wasn't enemies a bit of a strong word now, especially considering their actual position and Fitz's incredibly sweet words only a few minutes ago?

Ugh! And that was because of all those bloody questions that she kept wondering what she could allow herself to do and ask of him and often found herself watching him move away from her when she just wanted him to hold her in his arms a bit longer. Or in this case, hold him in hers.

"Sorry …" He muttered with an adorably sheepish grin as he pressed one last soothing kiss to her neck where he'd left an impressive mark after all.

"'s alright …" She replied lazily. "I'll just wear a scarf … again" She teased. She would have chided him for acting like a horny teenager once more but it drove her mad with pleasure when he did it and she couldn't help but find the possessiveness in his gesture kind of endearing. Which of course made her roll her eyes at herself because she really didn't need a man to mark her as his, if she could even be considered "his" anyway.

A minute later, he came back from the bathroom after disposing of the condom and she stopped him before he could join her back in bed.

"Wait, can you turn on the TV before coming back to bed?"

She hadn't had the courage to stand up herself. Just barely straightening up and covering herself with the sheets.

"Oh are you bored of me already?" he teased while still walking towards the TV.

"No … but you made me want to play a few games of Mario Kart, it's been forever since I-"

"Oh Jemma …" He cut her off while shacking his head in disappointment. "That's a playstation, you can't play Mario Kart! I thought you were a bigger nerd than that honestly!"

"Oh Fitz!" She mocked his tone. "Who do you take me for and why assume that this room only has a playstation?" She grinned, nodding towards the shelf installed just under the TV where one could easily see the playstation Fitz had spotted earlier as well as the brand new Wii U and the X-Box. She supposed she should feel a little proud of herself for being distracting enough for him not to notice it when they entered the room earlier (well stumbled into it was a more correct choice of words really).

"Now I'm jealous!" He said a little petulantly as he crossed his arms over his chest, standing before her in his glorious and unashamed nudity.

"Well you should be glad that you're shagging the only scientist in the conference whose boss likes her well enough to book such a room for her!" She grinned.

A shadow seemed to pass over his face and for a moment she wondered if she said something wrong. She felt a little uneasy herself at the idea of reducing what they were doing as just sex. But before she had the time to maybe correct herself, he just rolled his eyes at her.

"So. Where are the controllers so I can kick your ass?" He asked, his competitive side taking over.

"Hu … I don't know somewhere under there I guess …" She proposed before looking to the side and seeing that they were in fact in the drawer of her bedside table. But when she looked back to tell him, he was slightly hunched over to look for them and she was presented with an absolutely delightful view of the perfectly round and tight little arse SHE was going to kick at Mario Kart. He moved a bit to look through each small drawer of the desk just under the TV and it made his arse wiggle this way and that and she couldn't help sighing in contentment. He really did have the cutest arse she'd ever seen. For someone she knew didn't exercise at all, it felt almost unfair to have been blessed with genetics like that.

"Can't find them …" He finally declared after a moment as he looked back at her.

"Oh yeah …" She grinned. "They're right here …"

"What? Why didn't you …" He started, his brows furrowing in confusion until he finally noticed the direction of her gaze.

"Jemma!" He cried out in indignation, turning to hide from her only to present her with an equally satisfying view of his front side and she burst out laughing at the way he actually blushed.

"What?" She squeaked. "I'm giving you the appreciation you deserve …"

For a moment, just like she did earlier, he seemed to ponder wether to be flattered or feel objectified but came to a pretty quick conclusion if his smug smile and the way he puffed out his chest were any indication. She grinned at him then, more because of his slightly ridiculous but rather endearing display of pride than because it did bring her attention to the lean but nicely developed muscles in his shoulders and chest.

She nodded towards the empty side of the bed and he quickly joined her, grabbing the controller from her hands. She shook her head at his youthful eagerness but she had to admit she liked the idea more than she could have imagined. It felt like it's been ages since she did something just for the fun of it. Even when she had free time during the week-ends, she would use the opportunity to clean the apartment, go for a run or read one of the books she had on her to-read list. She never did anything that had no utility whatsoever, wether for her education or her health. Except for Fitz. Although one would argue that a fulfilling sex life had a big positive impact on one's health, she would never be able to fool herself into thinking that was the only reason she kept ending up in bed with him.

-0-0-0-

"So … you're not happy at MaxIndustries?" Jemma asked, gently bumping his shoulder as they waited for the new game to load. They were on their tenth game at least and she didn't remember having this much fun in a long time. She wished their competitiveness always had this nice playful edge to it because she didn't think she would ever have enough of it.

"Oh no it's alright … I guess I was being a little jealous of your room …" He said with a little chuckle but she was pretty sure there was a little more to it than that.

"Oh come on, it cannot be just that …" She insisted. it's not that she wanted him to be unhappy but she thought she'd gotten to recognize the signs when something was troubling him. She had obviously grown to care for him and whatever they were to each other, she wanted him to feel free to share something deeper than sex and the heated conversations that so often lead to it.

"No don't worry about-HEY that was mean!" He cut himself off when his kart was sent off track by her banana and she grinned. "Of course what did I expect from someone who would chose Wario?"

"Oh don't be like that princess! But come on tell me what's wrong!" She insisted once more, grinning happily at their childish banter. "Or are you really telling me that a playstation was enough to keep you distracted from me?"

She squeezed his upper thigh to make her point, making him stray off road once more. She grinned wider as she took this opportunity to overpass him and win the game.

"Jemma!"

"Oops?" She let out, faux sheepishly as she looked up at him through her lashes.

"Ugh fine!" He let out, throwing his controller on the mattress. "It's not so bad, it's just … I thought with the success of my drones, I'd get a little more recognition …"

"Oh … Well you should, they're all I can hear about these days and I've read at least twenty articles about it in tech magazines …"

"Really?"

"Of course Fitz! Do you really need me to tell you how brilliant they are once more?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at him and he smiled almost shyly.

"Not really but I guess it's always nice to hear …" He said, bumping her shoulder affectionately and she chuckled. "You could tell my boss though …"

"What do you mean?"

"It's just, it's not like it made a big difference, they're not treating me any different, I mean I've been waiting for weeks to get a bloody boiler in the kitchen. They want me to make tea with microwaved water, can you believe that?"

"Heathens!" Jemma cried out, sincerely outraged at this but it still made him smile. He took her hand before continuing, playing with it absent-mindedly like he always did when his mind was overactive but he didn't know what to do with his hands. There was something almost unconscious about the gesture and she found it a little confusing and heart-warming at the same time. He could have reached for the controller or the pillow or anything around him but he always went for her hands. That had to mean something even though she still didn't know what.

"So when I see the way your boss always gets you the best rooms and you almost always fly first class, I know it's just because he knows your value and doesn't want to see you go ... And I know it's a bit childish to be jealous of that but I wish mine would just, I don't know, express his gratitude or at least be more open minded to my new project propositions …"

"Ah … well I know for a fact that other companies would be glad to have you. Have you thought about looking for another job?"

The thought of him finding a job in New York popped into her mind at the moment and she liked it a lot, whatever that would entail.

"Yeah but no … I still have work to do on the drones, they're my babies and I don't want to leave them in someone else's hands …"

"Of course …" She replied, trying to hide her disappointment. "Well you could still ask around, they might be more open minded to your requests if they think you're looking …" She grinned.

"Sneaky!"

"Can't believe you didn't think of this yourself … you really are a sweet little princess …" She teased, nodding towards the screen where his Daisy avatar waited for him to start a new game.

"Oh wow … that's really how you wanna play it Simmons?" He said, glaring at her in faux disappointment. They'd been sending childish jabs at each other since they started playing and she knew he enjoyed it as much as she did.

"Come on Fitz …" She said, her tone softer. "It's late and we still have so many features to enjoy in this room. I know it's not the same but I can still share with you the appreciation my boss is giving me …"

"Oh yeah! I want to know what game they have on the playstation!"

"Sure … I was thinking more about what we could do with that huge bathtub but I suppose we could do your thing instead …" She replied, letting her hand go up his thigh and under the hem of his boxers, making his jaw drop slightly.

"Wait wait wait, let's not be hasty. Maybe we can do both if we skip professor Vaughn's lecture tomorrow morning …" He proposed.

To be fair, she'd already planned on conveniently not hearing her alarm clock anyway but he didn't need to know that so she pretended to think about it.

"Alright!" She finally quipped after a moment and hastily took her hand off his thigh just as it was reaching what he seemed really interested for her to reach. She grabbed her controller and started the game immediately, leaving him behind for a few seconds before he picked up on what she just did and grabbed his.

"Simmons you really are the worst!" He cried out as he tried to avoid another one of her banana peels.

"Less whining, more driving princ-owww" She cried out as he bumped her shoulder.

When she turned to look at him, he had the most childish grin on his face so she rolled her eyes at him. it was going to be fun.

-0-0-0-

The next day they did miss professor Vaughn's lecture. And breakfast. And lunch. Once they were sick of Mario Kart, they tried a few games on the playstation. And when they were too tired for complicated games with problems to solve, they went back to Mario Kart until both their karts went off road as they dozed off against each other. Without really remembering how it happened, Jemma woke up lying on her stomach mostly over the covers with Fitz practically blanketing her with his body and warmth. When she tried to move, he mumbled something about Wario she would definitely ask him about later and moved back, pulling her with him so they ended up spooning. At this point, they could still have made it to breakfast but she reasoned that Fitz had his lecture this afternoon and he needed a full night's sleep and maybe this just felt a little too nice to get out of bed just yet.

A smile tugged at her lips when she looked around before closing her eyes once more. On top of the clothes they'd shed as they entered the room, there were all the controllers from the video game consoles they tried as well as empty packs of peanuts and sweets. They never got to use the bathtub in all the sinful ways she'd imagined and instead spent hours playing together and teasing each other. It was all very childish and innocent (except maybe for the few times she snogged him into silence when he got a little too smug about winning) and it was still the best night she's had in ages. When Fitz pecked her on the cheek and left to go rehearse his presentation one last time, she realized that she could finally put a word on what they were. Friends. Of course it wasn't quite enough to describe all that they were. Even sexually compatible friends wasn't enough. But it was a start and friendship definitely felt like a good place to start for any kind of relationship theirs could evolve into.

 ****

 **Sorry it took me this long to post this chapter but once more it turned out to be a monster and real life is keeping busy as well :-)**  
 **That was also probably the least smutty chapter but it should be back in full force next chapter :-D This one should also be a big one so I might cut it in half so it doesn't take me too long to post it here :-)**  
 **Thanks again to everyone commenting and leaving kuddos, hope you enjoyed this one as well :-)**

 **Also, I've never been to New York so I can only hope that Fitz's address makes sense and doesn't turn out to be an office building or something :p**


	8. Chapter 8

Being friends with Fitz was absolutely wonderful. Being finally truly friends with him was in fact one of the single best things that happened in Jemma's life. Their work relationship was close to perfection. With professor McKenzie, it had always been really nice and she thought she'd miss it but working with Fitz was something else entirely. He brought out the best in her and vice versa. Sometimes they were so in synch that they would work in absolute silence for hours, communicating simply with a few hand gestures and facial expressions, reaching for a tool only to realize that the other was already handing it to them. And sometimes they would talk so fast and finish each other's sentences so easily that no one else could understand them but each other. And if they did raise their voices once in a while, it was sometimes harmless bickering but much more often it was because they got overexcited over a breakthrough or laughing uncontrollably over a joke only them understood. And if the way she caught Coulson looking at them a few times with a fond smile like that of a proud father was any indication, it seemed like he didn't mind them getting a little loud anymore. Of course the fact that they always finished everything days before any deadline tremendously helped as well.

As for their relationship outside of work, it was completely delightful. She still loved their tea breaks and lunches as much and they'd also taken on the habit of walking home together a few days a week. And after they once spent more than an hour finishing their conversation at the crossroad where they were supposed to go their separate way, they'd also taken on the habit of taking a cup of tea and muffin at the coffee shop in the corner. And after they made it till closing time several times, they added dinner at one of the pubs or restaurants across the street to the growing list of things they did together. And once they were already spending pretty much all their waking hours during the week together, it didn't seem like such a big stretch to start meeting up during the week-ends as well.

They went for long walks in the city, sometimes they went to an exhibit, and Jemma even served as a touristic guide for all the landmarks Fitz still didn't have the time to see since he came to live in New York. And most of the time, it was followed by more muffins, cups of tea, dinners and wonderful lengthy conversations.

To sum it up, it was all incredibly nice and she often caught herself smiling for no specific reason, just because she was generally happy and content. There was just one tiny little problem though: she was falling in love with him all over again.

To be fair, she didn't think she ever really stopped loving him. For a time she'd been so focused on her bitterness, sadness and anger that she managed to forget about it. After that she was just completely focused on making their work relationship function properly to salvage something out of this mess at least and after that, she supposed that the memories of their attempt at a romantic relationship had started to fade away enough for her to actually start believing that what she felt was just affection and leftover attraction for someone she knew to be very sexually compatible with her. But then, their friendship started to evolve into the most wonderful, fulfilling one she ever had, until he became her best friend and then, somehow, more than that. She started remembering everything that made her fall in love with him in the first place and that had in fact always been there. He was of course incredibly smart, witty and handsome, but that she could have managed to deal with. He was also sweet and generous and adorable. Despite his natural grumpiness and tendency to ramble about the uselessness of their lab assistants, she'd seen him spend hours explaining very complicated concepts to several of them, with the dedication and patience she knew would have made him an excellent teacher. And she didn't even know if she wanted children someday (or even pets for that matter) but it warmed her heart in an unexplainable way when he took that soft voice to talk to that little girl who had lost her mom in thé Park the other day or when his whole face lit up whenever he saw a dog.

But if it was only that and she was convinced that her feelings were only one-sided, she would have kept on trying to keep them in check. But he did a million small things like texting her goodnight every night even when they'd just said goodnight twenty minutes ago or making sure her brand of tea was always stocked at work. And sometimes, it was even pretty big: he was always walking closer to the cars whenever they were in the street. Which she didn't think much of at first, just thinking he simply had a favorite side to walk on. But several times, he instinctively moved before her when he thought a car was coming too fast and wasn't going to stop at the crossroad and she finally understood. It floored her that it wasn't even a conscious decision, he just cared enough for her to instinctively want to protect her. And that, along with the way his smile lit up the whole room when he saw her first thing in the morning, told her that her feelings were most likely not one-sided at all.

And that fact both terrified her and exhilarated her. Because however ridiculously romantic the notion was, her heart didn't care about SciTech rules and threatened to jump out of her chest whenever he kissed her on cheek to say goodnight while she was screaming at him internally to move his lips just a little to the left. How long would they be able to keep going like that, ignoring that spark that's always been there between them? How long would it be before they let one of their celebratory hugs last a little longer than usual, leaving them very aware of how nice it was when their bodies were so close? How long would it be before she decided that she wanted their conversation to carry on and invited him home, the one or two glasses of wine she had letting her heart take the reins and forget why they weren't supposed to be together? How much time before they finally crossed the line again?

Turned out. Even less than she thought.

 **Sci-tech, New York, October 2018**

"I don't think we'll make it home before sunset …" Jemma let out as she muffled yet another yawn.

Fitz grinned as he held his wrist in front of his face to see what time it was.

"Oh do you really think so?" He asked faux-sincerely as he let his hand fall back on the couch between them. "Sorry …" He added when it landed on her own hand for what was probably was the tenth time in the last fifteen minutes.

Jemma giggled loudly as they both looked towards the huge window of Jemma's office where they could already see the full moon shining through and the dark blue sky behind it. His joke didn't really deserve so much laughter from her but she was so tired she'd reached the point where she felt a little drunk and Fitz had apparently reached the one where his gestures, usually very precise and controlled, became very approximative, at least if the way his hands kept brushing her hand, arm or leg was anything to go by.

They had both agreed earlier this morning that they would finish the latest testing phase of their hand prosthetic before the week-end even if that meant finishing past midnight. They didn't have much left to do but Jemma had been getting drowsy for some time and Fitz had decided that they deserved a strong cup of tea and a break. Of course, for Jemma, it had meant batting her eyelashes at him and wait for him to come back with tea while she waited on the big comfy couch in her office. She wasn't exactly proud of it but it hadn't taken much persuasion for him to accept and if Coulson had decided to buy such a fantastic couch for her, she had to use it at least once in a while. It had been at least fifteen minutes since Fitz came back with tea and now that she'd finished it, she could feel herself getting drowsy again, the caffeine doing very little to keep her awake it seemed. It would take so little effort to fold her legs under herself and let gravity push her towards Fitz. She knew her head would fit perfectly in the crook of his neck, his lovely clean smell beckoning her forward. Up close, she would even be able to taste it on her lips, run her tongue along his skin just a little bit until she could reach that spot on his collarbone that always made him shiver and muffle a moan. Actually, it might even feel nicer if he was the one to run his fingers over …

"Jemma?"

"I'm not sleeping!" She cried out, her eyes shooting open and her heart beating out of her chest as she rejoined the world of the living, hoping she didn't say any of her thoughts out loud, especially mingled with fantasy and memories as they were.

Fitz chuckled as he moved closer, and for a moment, she stopped breathing. But then he brought his hand to her face, gently taking a strand of hair that had escaped her ponytail and putting it back behind her ear, his thumb just barely grazing her cheek.

"You should go home Jem …" He said and the soft low tone of his voice did nothing to calm her heart. "We're almost done here, I can finish on my own. You trust me right?"

 **Baltimore science and technology conference, October 2017**

"is it possible to be in the same time completely exhausted and incredibly horny?"

Fitz burst out laughing, his arm around her shoulder pulling her even closer into his chest in the process, and actually not helping either of her "problems". It was even more comfy like that but it also brought her face closer to his neck and that was where his lovely scent was always the most delicious and so strong it was almost intoxicating.

"You actually described all of my teenage years so … yeah!" He grinned, looking down at her when he was done laughing. "But hum … I pretty much feel the same right now so … do you want me to sing you to sleep or do you want me to move my hand further down?" He added with a smirk, looking pointedly at where it rested on her lower back at the moment, just the tip of his fingers tucked inside the elastic of her knickers.

Honestly, if he knew how to sing even just a little bit, with his accent and voice so low and raspy, both choices would end up having the same effect on her. She smiled up at him with a mischievous expression before extending her neck a bit and nipping lazily at the hollow of his throat, slowly moving down until she reached his collarbone, her teeth softly grazing the skin there and forcing a low moan of contentment out of him.

"Mmmhhh … alright then …" He breathed, letting his hand descend until it closed softly around the cold skin if her arse. The warmth of his hand made her shiver in pleasure and she moved back up to his neck, pressing butterfly kisses as she did, until she reached his scruffy jaw.

"But I don't mind it if you want to sing though …" She said, capturing his lips before he could protest. Their lips glided over each other's for a moment, languidly, delicately, until he swiped his tongue on her lower lip before deepening the kiss, making her sigh in the process. As the first one was delightfully caressing her bum, his other hand went up to cup her cheek and pull her closer. She sighed again as her leg instinctively moved up high across his hips, feeling him start to harden through his pants and trousers once more. This whole heated but lazy make out session was rather new. They usually managed to get to the sex part much quicker and she was only now realizing everything she'd missed these past months. She knew it had to do mostly with both of them having taken an insanely early flight and not having had even an hour to rest during the day, but it felt like he was enjoying taking his time just as much as she did.

They'd been kissing and caressing each other for the better part of an hour but Fitz still had his trousers and pants on and Jemma was still wearing her knickers and blouse. Fitz had taken her bra off already and given her a rather lovely kind of massage to rub off the marks on her sides and shoulders and as arousing as it had been, it was also incredibly tender and relaxing and that was why, she supposed, they still hadn't moved on to the sex part.

Although, if he kept trailing his fingers from her bum to the inside of her thighs and back like he was doing at the moment, she would soon clearly be ready for more. Moving her hand to his groin, she carressed him with more intent. His cock stirred and hardened satisfyingly under her ministrations and she was glad that they were on the same page.

Still kissing him deeply, she slid over him until her leg was on the other side and she was effectively straddling his hips. She groaned into his mouth when his hands settled on her hips and he pulled her closer, her center deliciously rubbing against where he was fully hard now. Breaking the kiss, she pulled her blouse over her head, not bothering with the buttons, and enjoying the way Fitz never failed to grin at the sight of her naked breasts. She didn't want to waste another second, all this kissing and touching and cuddling having finally brought her to a height of arousal, and directly went for his belt. Fitz wasn't much help as he palmed her breasts and massaged them but after such a long day, the feeling was sinfully good.

"Fitz …" She sighed, both in pleasure and a little frustration, as she fumbled with his button and zipper. God, she needed him immediately and it wasn't going fast enough.

Finally she did it, grinning triumphantly as she started to move back to pull his last remaining clothes off him.

"Fuck!" He suddenly cried out, leaving her frozen in place. Whatever it was for, that didn't sound like the good kind of "fuck".

"Fitz? What is it? Did i hurt you or-"

"No no no, it's just- Fuck! I don't have a condom."

"Oh …" She let out, sitting back on her heels next to him.

"Left in a hurry this morning, didn't think about it until I saw you at Dr Jeong's conference and-"

"… remembered you'd be having sex tonight?" She suggested with a lifted eyebrow.

"Jemma! It's not like that!" She raised her eyebrow even higher. "Okay, it's a little bit like that but I-I-"

"That's alright Fitz! So …"

"So I thought I'd go and buy some at some point during the day but between the lectures and everyone wanting to talk to me, I didn't even get the chance to check into my room before 7 PM and then, next thing I knew you were there, luring me into bed with your feminine wiles!"

Jemma shook her head in mild disapproval but couldn't help smiling at his words.

"Oh are you complaining now?"

"Never! From this moment on, assume that the use of any of your feminine wiles on me will always be welcome!" He said, straightening up to peck her lips before going to remove his pants and trousers completely. They did look a little uncomfortable and ridiculous halfway down his legs like that. "So I don't assume you have any, do you?" He asked, sitting back on the bed.

"Sorry, no … since we still haven't finished that huge box of yours I didn't think it was necessary." She said with a smirk although she felt a huge wave of frustration and disappointment wash over her.

"Yeah … yeah of course." He replied, rubbing his eyes as if to clear his head. "Well, we can still enjoy each other I guess …" He let out, tentatively running his hand up her thigh until his fingers were lightly caressing her through the thin cotton of her knickers.

"Yesss …" She rasped, her legs parting of their own volition as she enjoyed the feeling for just a moment. She knew perfectly well of all the ways they could enjoy each other, having tested pretty much all of them already, but still … "although I hum … I have an IUD and I had a full check-up in May and I …" She looked down, suddenly afraid of his reaction, of what he would have to answer to what she was going to say and what that would mean about this relationship they still had to define. "… I haven't been with anyone else but you since we started hum … well, this … Of course I don't expect you to-"

"Me too!" He cut her off, and she finally looked up at him. "I mean, me neither, I haven't been with anyone else either … and hu I had a check up after my last hum-I had a check up like a year ago and there's only been you so …"

"Oh … that's … good" She finally let out and he smiled at her, a little shy but with an expression of infinite tenderness in his eyes. Looping his hand around her waist, he pulled her in until she was sitting across his lap, chuckling at the weirdness of the position in this context. "Are you hum … completely sure?" She added, biting her lip as she realized he might take this question the wrong way.

"Of course I am! Do you think I would risk your health because I'm too lazy to go downstairs to buy condoms?"

Her heart filled with warmth at the earnestness of his tone and the fact that he didn't even question her own affirmation.

"No … of course no." She replied, cupping his cheek in her hand to capture his lips in a soft quick kiss.

"So do you trust me?"

"Yes Fitz I trust you"

And she did. Probably more than she ever trusted anyone on that subject in fact.

"Good" He declared firmly before lying back down and pulling her back on top of him. She giggled delightedly as she somehow ended up with her breasts pressed into his face. But before she had the time to right herself and bring them face to face to kiss him, he started nipping at the delicate and sensitive skin of her lower breast and she keened in surprise. Then he moved up and captured her nipple, sucking on it softly, rolling his tongue around it until her whole skin was covered in goosebumps.

"Fiiitz ..." She moaned as he moved to its pair, looking intensely focused on his task like he was perfectly content to keep doing just that. Jemma, on the other hand ... As good as it felt, if she'd been aroused before, the thought of having him with no barrier at all between their bodies was completely exhilarating. And a little scary, because it had been so long since she'd been with someone she trusted enough for that, but mostly exhilarating. And it needed to come faster.

So taking his head with both her hands, she forced him to let go of her breasts and captured his lips with hers instead. She moved back a little as she did, sighing when her center finally aligned with his cock. She rolled her hips and sighed as his erection rubbed against her clit just right.

"Jemma" He mumbled into her mouth and finally moved his hands to her hips to push her knickers down. After a lot of wiggling and chuckling and moaning, she was finally free of her last piece of clothing and back to straddling his hips.

She looked down at him one last time, searching his eyes for an answer to her silent question. He nodded, giving her a small smile that was almost heavier with softness than his eyes were with lust. She slowly lifted her hips then, taking his cock in hand and aligning it with her entrance, and finally sank back down on him. They both gasped at the sensation and her eyes closed in pleasure. She didn't remember it feeling so different. How could a very thin piece of rubber make everything feel so different?

"Jemma ..." He rasped and when she looked back down at him, his eyes were full of awe, admiration and lust. She smiled at him then and started moving. She lifted her hips up and down with a little twist, slowly testing these sensations that seemed just as unusual to him as they were to her. After a minute or so, he grabbed her hips to accompany her movements and her pace picked up in intensity. There was something coiling in her stomach already, a delightful feeling that made her shiver every time he hit that special spot inside her but it wasn't her orgasm building just yet. Fitz, on the other hand, was panting and biting his lip to the point it had to hurt, both tell tale signs that he was much closer than she was.

"It's alright Fitz let go ..." She whispered. They had all night after all and Fitz had a really short refractory period anyway. She liked seeing that way so she didn't mind letting him enjoy the intensity of those sensations without holding back, knowing he would make sure she'd be more than satisfied soon after. She bent forward a bit, her hands lightly resting on his chest as she started circling her hips in larger circles, sighing as it put a lovely pressure on her clit that way. He made some sort of strangled noise that was supposed to be words and in a flurry of movements that took her by surprise, he turned them around, slipping out of her in the process, and then quickly turning her around again to lay on her stomach. He came to hover over her on his hands and knees, kissing her neck and shoulders, all the way down her spine, his tongue leaving a wet trail as he went, until he finally reached her lower back and playfully bit the fleshiest part of her bum.

"Fitz!" She tried to admonish him but before she had the time to squirm around enough to see him, he'd grabbed her hips and pulled them up, easily sliding back deep inside her in one swift motion, before bracing himself on his forearms as he started moving. She called out his name in a much different way then. God, it was good! He always felt bigger like that, the slide of him against her inside walls making her whimper in pleasure, not to mention that a small break did wonders to ratchet up her arousal just as it helped level his, giving her more time to catch up. Trust not to ever letting her behind! But it wasn't only that. She loved having him like that, his whole body plastered against her back, feeling his muscles tighten as he moved into her and his lips on her skin, kissing and whispering nonsensical words of adoration. Few positions felt at the same time so wild and so loving, incredibly intimate.

Fitz still didn't last much longer but it was just enough. The muscles in his stomach tightened and he snapped his hips harder against her, making her see stars as he hit just the right spot every time, knowing it meant he just couldn't hold back any longer. After just a moment, she could feel him tense and finally release inside her. She could have fooled herself into thinking it was that unusual sensation that dit it but deep down she knew it wasn't. As he finally lost control, her name was the only thing coming out of his lips for a full minute and it was the thought that he was finally hers and she was his that triggered something in her, her inside walls fluttering just as Fitz was coming down from his high. He kept moving his hips in lazy but deep thrusts to prolong her pleasure and it felt so good, she would have kept him inside all night if he didn't start to soften.

He pressed one last kiss to her shoulder and pulled out of her, rolling to his side with a hand still on her bum, caressing it lovingly. She didn't even think he did it intentionnaly but it wasn't like she minded. His hands were always warmer than hers and her skin always cooled down ridiculously quickly. After a while, she finally found the courage to turn around and headbutt him until he was on his back and she could rest her head on his chest. He made a vague noise of protest at being handled like he was her human pillow but still opened his arms for her so she could get comfortable. She sighed in contentment and he chuckled as he started to trace abstract patterns on her shoulder with the tip of his fingers.

"Well that was-that was … wow we should have discussed this a long time ago …" He declared and her heart clenched. She knew he meant the possibility of having unprotected sex together making it all more intense but with the overwhelming feeling of possessiveness that had possessed her earlier, she wished he'd meant something different, something deeper than that. But it had to mean something anyway, that there hadn't been anyone else for him. Of course, she supposed it could be out of practicality. Their jobs were keeping them extra busy and even if their encounters didn't happen quite as often as she'd like to, it was always very satisfying and it might be enough for him. But Fitz was objectively very attractive, brilliant and with an adorable accent, he had to have opportunities during the weeks or months separating two conferences. She knew she had a few at least, and she turned them all down without a second thought. Of course, most of them she would have turned down anyway but she knew very well that at least her friend's friend (what was his name again?) that she met this summer, she would have given it a try, gone out on a date with him. But the idea that it was a possibility didn't even cross her mind. So instead of regretting that they still hadn't had a more meaningful conversation about what all of THIS was, she decided to focus on the idea that Fitz might have turned down at least one chance of dating, or even just sex, because he was faithful to her. That had to mean something and she liked that a lot.

"Mmmh yeah" She finally answered. "That was nice wasn't it?"

"Yeah. Nice." He replied with a mocking tone, implying that the word wasn't enough to describe what they just did. She did feel like she blew his mind if she said so herself. Until he took control of course, and blew her mind. Not that she really minded of course.

"So … now that you're awake …" She declared, squirming a bit to right herself and look down at him with a small grin. "I have tons of questions about your new drones! First of all I want to know if-"

"No!" He cut her off. "No no no no no no no! It's too late for that! Now we sleep!"

"But Fitz I really want to … HEY!" She cried out as he pulled her back against him, holding her tightly with his arm around her shoulder as he used his other hand to bring the covers back over both of them.

"Tomorrow if you want! Now we sleep!" He declared, his voice going lower as he spoke. Did he try to lull her to sleep? He loosened his arm then and started caressing her hair, delicately loosening a few knots that had formed after being in bed for so long. He was definitely trying to lull her to sleep.

"Fitz!" She admonished weakly. "You can't make me sleep if I don't want to, I'm not a child."

"Of course I can't! I'm just helping you relax" He replied, pressing soft kisses to the top of her head. Her eyes fluttered close. Yes, she was just going to relax for a moment and then she'd go to the bathroom and come back and ask him her questions.

His breathing was slowing down and with her head on his chest, it felt like being at sea, the soft steady motion just enough to make her really extra relaxed. Maybe she could sleep for a bit after all.

"Fitz … sing me a song ..."

"What?" He replied, his words already slurred. Poor thing really was exhausted it seemed.

"If you want me to sleep, sing me a song!" She insisted and he huffed weakly.

"Don't be a baby …"

"Come on sing me a song. Such a pretty voice …" She mumbled against his chest, feeling already half asleep anyway.

"No …" He replied but she could hear the smile in his tone.

"Pleeeeease!"

"Ugh fine!" He finally said and she patted his chest, waiting for him to start.

He seemed to be thinking for a moment, to the point where she thought he might have fallen asleep in the process but then he cleared his throat and started singing. She recognized the words of Scotland The Brave immediately and grinned into his chest. It was a little off key but with his accent getting stronger when he sang and his voice all low and raspy from sleep, it was absolutely lovely. She was asleep before he even reached the chorus but that night she dreamt of rolling green hills, beautiful lakes and lovely little cottages and it didn't take the genius she was to know what it was really about.

 **Sci-tech, New York, October 2018**

"Jemma?" Fitz asked, his tone implying that it wasn't the first time he was asking. These moments where she was pulled into her memories with a single sentence, sometimes even just a word, were getting more frequent these days and he had to have noticed it.

"Uh yeah yeah sorry! Of course I trust you." She finally replied, cringing at how raspy her voice sounded.

Fitz chuckled fondly as he brushed her cheek with his thumb, voluntarily this time. "Poor thing, you're really exhausted, aren't you?"

"Ah hum … yeah-yeah exhausted …" She replied, feeling herself blush harder at the proximity of his face, letting her gaze fall to his lips for a second before going back to his soft looking eyes. As he moved to sit back against the back of couch, she hoped he would mistake her widening eyes and blushing face for embarrassment about almost falling asleep and not the hot flush of lust that her memories and his proximity sent through her body, making her want to squirm and press her legs together.

"Right …" He simply let out and she didn't dare looking sideways to see the likely expression of confusion or disbelief on his face.

Fitz remained like this for a moment, his immobility contradicting his earlier words about going back to the lab and finishing their work on his own, until his hand slid from his thigh and his pinky and ring fingers ended up touching her hand. Which she shouldn't even have noticed except that he didn't apologize or moved his hand away like every time something like that happened in the last half hour. They'd found a whole array of what she deemed safe and acceptable ways to touch each other since they'd become such close friends. A squeeze on the shoulder or arm for comfort was perfectly fine, or even a short hug whenever they reached a milestone on their project was alright, and when working together in such close quarters, their hands were bound to get in contact all the time. So why did such a small contact feel so different?

A few moments later, he gently let his hand slide completely over hers and she understood why.

Even the warmest of their hugs hadn't lasted more than a few seconds, and she supposed she should have moved her hands away, but the truth was that it was sending shivers up her arm and she didn't want it to stop.

He softly pulled her fingers apart then and pushed his own long and elegant digits between, slowly linking them together. And, honestly, was she fifteen again to be so affected by so little? At this point he must have noticed the rapidly increasing pace of her breathing, the rapid rise and fall of her chest, and that was probably why he felt confident enough to let go of her hand and run the tips of his fingers up her arm until he reached that very ticklish spot inside her elbow. Except, she really didn't feel like laughing. Because every touch, every whiff of his Cologne and every loud breath he released sent her back to the dozens of memories of them entwined and without a care for the world outside of the bedroom they were in.

He ran his fingers back down to her hand and that's when she released the breath she didn't realize she was holding. That was then, in this last moment of uncertainty, that she had her last chance to stop it all: stand up, run home to get a cold shower (or maybe a very long hot bath) and come back on monday with a clear head. Maybe it was the tingling feeling all over her skin or her exhausted brain no longer capable of fighting the rest of her body, but instead she let her head fall on his shoulder, deeply inhaling his lovely scent. She was pretty sure he let out a small gasp but before she had the time to question herself, she could feel the weight of his own head falling on top of hers.

He pressed a kiss to her hair and that felt lovely, really tender and still acceptable for a friend, she thought. And then he pressed another, and another, his lips lingering longer and longer every time, sending tendrils of pleasure through the sensitive skin of her scalp. Jemma pressed her ear closer to his chest and ... God! How could he act so calm and composed when his heart was beating so fast?

His hand moved again and ended up on her thigh, moving slightly up and down, pushing all matters of questions about his supposed calm to the back of her mind. Even through her jeans, it felt like his hand was setting her skin on fire. It had been too long since anyone touched her like that, too long since HE touched her like that and she couldn't stop the small noise she made in the back of her throat. Of course, Fitz knew exactly what it meant. Had it been another man, he might have stopped for a moment, giving her brain a chance to regain control. Instead he slid his hand higher and closer to the inside of her thigh, making the ache between her legs impossible to ignore any longer. She looked up then, and the dazed, lustful expression in his eyes was all she needed to palm his cheek with her hand and bring his lips to hers.

"Jemma" He mumbled against her lips before diving in completely and kissing her with all he had. As their lips moved in tandem, his right hand came up to hold her face as well and it felt so good after so long that she might have sobbed if she wasn't so busy enjoying the way he made her whole body thrum with desire. She parted her lips to push her tongue into his mouth and he groaned as his other hand finally moved even higher. Her legs parted almost of their own volition and he cupped her sex without hesitation. She bit his lip as the simple contact made her clit throb even through her jeans and knickers and she could feel him smile into the kiss. God, she missed it so much all these months, not just the sensations his touch was creating but the closeness and the abandon. How could she ever believe they'd be able to be such close friends without ever giving in to the temptation?

Even now, she felt like she wasn't nearly close enough so she slid her hand to the back of his head and pulled him even closer, breaking the kiss to attack his neck instead, biting and licking at his skin hungrily like she couldn't get enough of him. Fitz must have felt the same because he pulled her legs until one of them was over his lap and the other as close to him as possible, leaving her open to him in a way that should have-

"Ooooh …" She moaned when his hand went back to rub at the sensitized skin of her folds, his fingers fluttering in a tantalizing way that made it hard for her to focus on kissing that lovely part of his neck that was always so smooth and soft and deliciously sensitive. She keened against his skin and he intensified the movement, making up for the loss of actual contact by pushing the seam of her jeans right against her clit. It almost took her by surprise when his other hand ended up on her breast. She didn't even notice him sneaking his hand under her blouse and now he was pulling her cup down and squeezing her aching nipple, rolling it between his fingers and panting against her forehead. She whimpered wantonly and the hand between her legs descended, pushing two fingers against her entrance before letting go and coming back again and again until the ache became unbearable. Her clothes needed to go off and she needed more than his neck to kiss and lick.

"Fiitz" She let out with a pitiful whine as she tried to clumsily disentangle herself from him to get access to the button of her jeans. Or his, at this point she wasn't clear about it all. So she let her head fall back against the back of the couch, closing her eyes to try and at least regain control of her own fingers. And that's when she opened her eyes again that she saw it: the tiny blinking red light coming from the camera over the door of her office.

Which wasn't supposed to be surprising because they weren't in an hotel room, at a conference on another continent, they were in her office at Sci-Tech. A place where she should keep things professional or, at the most, friendly, especially with one of her colleagues, given the very strict anti-fraternization rules she knew much too well. She froze completely then and it took a moment for Fitz to notice, as absorbed as he was by what he was doing to her. But it's only when he looked up at her with confusion, his hands slowly moving away and towards less dangerous territories that she was finally able to react. She jumped up, tripping over her own feet and trying her best to make her clothes and hair look presentable again, just in case.

"Fitz I-I'm sorry we can't do that!" She said, gesturing towards pretty much the whole room to try and make him understand. "You know we can't. We don't have the right to, it's not …"

"No Jemma it's me I'm sorry!" He cut her off, standing up as well but keeping a reasonable distance. He looked completely dazed and close to panic but his pupils were also blown wide with lust, his hair and clothes a bit of mess, not to mention that his trousers were doing very little to conceal his erection. "It's me. I started it. I didn't mean to touch you like that but you, the way you shivered, it was … I don't know-I ... You were so pretty and adorable all sleepy like that and it reminded of that time and your skin always looks so soft that I-"

Jemma crashed her lips against his before he could say another word. Trying to resist him when she felt like that and he LOOKED like that was one thing, but resist him when he was being so sweet on top of everything was something else entirely. Something impossible apparently. She pushed him until he hit the wall, pushing on her tiptoes to kiss him harder as her arms went around his neck. He pulled her closer then, pressing her against his erection with his hands on her bum, apparently not questioning her sudden change of mood. It felt fantastically sinful the way his hips pushed forward as he held her and the way he kissed her like she was his only source of oxygen.

He turned them around suddenly, one hand behind her head to cushion the blow as he pressed her against the nearby wall with a leg between her thighs. She moaned something fierce as he pushed harder again and again, her clit throbbing as her orgasm started building low in her guts. He brought his fingers back to her sex then as he rubbed hard from her entrance to her clit and back, she finally reached climax, her walls clenching around nothing as her cry of pleasure was thankfully swallowed by his deep kisses. He let his leg between hers for a moment and she was grateful for the pressure as she went down from her high.

She was just thinking about returning the favors, hoping he wouldn't mind things getting a little messy but before she could get her hands on him, something shifted. His kisses became softer, more tender than passionate, and his arms moved up until he was holding her shoulders tightly. Before she could really wonder what it meant, he broke the kiss and pressed a kiss to her forehead instead before gently pulling her face into his chest.

"God Jemma I missed you so much, I-"

"Fitz we can't!" She cut him off.

She didn't know what he was about to say but whatever had just happened, it couldn't happen again. She felt terrible for stopping now but the wonderful way he took the time to hold and embrace her in the middle of such a sudden moment of passion reminded her of what a wonderful person he was and how she needed him in her life more than anything. She couldn't risk the beautiful friendship they had with some sordid secret affair. The last time, they had nothing to lose, this time they had everything.

It took all her willpower to take a few steps back and turn around. She needed to be away from him to let her body cool down and, it felt a little coward, but it would be easier to say if she couldn't see the sadness or disappointment on his face.

"Fitz what we have now, it's - it's good, it's really good, we cannot risk it all for something sexual and risk losing our job or work partnership in the process. Our-our friendship means too much to-"

A hand on her shoulder stopped her in her tracks, gently but firmly forcing her to turn around.

"Jemma no! It's never been just something sexual or some casual affair or whatever! Never, from the first time, it always meant more ... for me at least..." He trailed off.

"Oh Fitz ..." She started but he cut her off again, his piercing blue eyes practically pinning her to the spot.

"Listen I didn't try to change your mind back then because you were so mad at me and I thought I blew up any chance I might have had with you Jemma. And then we became closer and I had hope that maybe it would evolve into … and then this happened so if there's a chance you might still feel more than friendship for me, I want to talk about it, I … want to give us a chance. Please."

"But Fitz, that's not the issue, it's not that I don't …" She trailed off. Why were words so hard to say when it came to Fitz? "You know the rules at SciTech, we're not allowed to-"

"Yeah I know, we're not allowed to be together. I'll resign if I have to. I can easily find a job anywhere else anyway I can't find another you." He replied matter of factly and it looked like it clearly wasn't the first time he'd given this a thought. Why did he have to say such beautifully romantic things?

"But you love this job and you love what you're doing here as much as I do, you cannot resign for me!" She protested. Whatever he thought he still owed her, she couldn't let him sacrifice himself for her.

"Yeah but I love you more!"

His eyes were fixed on hers when he said it and she gasped at the intensity of it. She could feel her eyes watering as her own love for him threatened to overwhelm her. If only he had said those words a year ago ...

"I'm sorry it took me so long to say it." He added in a slightly shaky voice. "I should have said it that morning in San Fransisco. I should have said it before that even but I … that's how I feel now and how i've been feeling for so long and ... Jemma?" He asked tentatively, seeing that she was still frozen. She wanted to say it, and knowing that it was what he'd been feeling back then filled her heart with a warmth she hadn't felt in a long time. But she couldn't. He was right, they needed to talk before she could feel free enough to do that. She couldn't fool herself into thinking her feelings would go away anymore but they couldn't just erase such complicated ten years. They needed to talk it through at lengths if she was really going to consider letting him sacrifice his job for her.

But at this moment, she was too exhausted to explain all of this in so many words so she took the steps separating them and took him in his arms. He hugged her back immediately but she could feel the hesitation in his slightly rigid posture, so after a moment and taking strength from the sound of his steadily beating heart, she simply said: "Ok, let's talk then"

"Really?" He asked as he pulled back from the hug, his eyes shining with renewed hope.

"Yes!" She replied, a fond smile tugging at her lips. He looked at her intensely then, like he was trying to read her mind, and whatever he saw he seemed to like it because he pressed a light kiss to her lips before pulling her back into a hug. She chuckled at his eagerness and relaxed into his embrace, feeling like it wouldn't take much for her to fall asleep again.

"Let's talk over dinner then" He said, his voice slightly muffled from his face being buried in her hair. "That nice pizza place you like so much!"

It was sweet of him really but ...

"But it's Friday night Fitz, that place is going to be packed, I don't know if that's the best place to talk about … well everything."

"Oh ... yeah you're right." He replied, a little disappointed, as he pulled back from the hug.

"I'm really tired anyway, maybe we can talk about it over lunch or brunch tomorrow? That place on Fifth is always pretty quiet on saturdays and I know you-"

"No!" He cut her off and immediately blushed at his outburst, his hand going to his neck in that nervous gesture she knew so well. "I mean, we've waited too long already. I don't want to wait another day to have that talk. Come to my place, I'll cook and ...What?" He interrupted himself when he saw the look of disbelief in her eyes. "Just because I love junk food doesn't mean I'm not an excellent cook!"

"Okay then ..." She grinned. Fitz had always been full of surprises after all.

"So you'll come? Just to talk I promise! I'll be good, and you can have my bed if you're too tired to go home. I'll sleep on the couch."

She wanted to roll her eyes at this useless bout of chivalry but she supposed it was part of his charm.

"You've always been a good boy!" She said, patting his head teasingly. "But I don't think that will be necessary."

Whatever was the verdict at the end of their conversation, she had a feeling she wouldn't mind him sleeping in the same bed.

"Right. Good hum ... Shall we then?" He said, nodding towards the door with such an endearingly shy attitude, you'd think he just asked her out on their first date.

"How about the tests? We still need to finish those ..."

"Fuck the tests!"

"Fitz!" She cried out in only semi-fake outrage. This was science he was talking about after all. Science should never be taken lightly.

"Oh come on. You know it was a self imposed deadline anyway, we still have one week to finish, it's more than enough. I think we deserve some time to ourselves. Don't you think? This, us, it's important ..."

"Yeah, it really is." She replied, taking his hand and threading their fingers together in what she hoped was a reassuring gesture. His expression kept going from hope to doubt and she felt like, whatever the tone of their conversation would be, she'd have to reassure him a lot. She could just tell him point blank that she loved him too but she didn't want to blurt it out like that, he needed to know the whole story and she didn't want it to look like she felt obligated to say it back.

"Well, let's just go and close the lab and then we can leave."

"Right hum ... you go first and I'll follow you in a minute."

"Why? Is there something you want to … Oh" She cut herself off as she followed his gaze down towards his crotch where there was still a very noticeable bulge. "Sorry …" She said, trying her best to hide her grin. She did feel quite terrible for letting things go that far, letting him give her such a fantastic orgasm and then not … follow through. "Do you want me to …" She trailed off, nodding towards his erection as she took a step closer.

"No!" He cried out. "No … I mean, it's … nice to offer" He said, wincing at his choice of words. "But it'd feel weird now and I actually think it'd be better if we talked before going back to acting like horny teenagers!" He added and she blushed a little, knowing that's what she'd been doing jumping back on him that second time.

"Yeah alright. Just hum … flex your thighs and legs then, it will divert the blood there instead of your penis."

"Jemma!"

"What? I'm just trying to help!"

"Well don't say things like that then, it's not helping!"

"What? Penis?"

"Jemma!" He practically groaned this time.

"Oh honestly Fitz!" She huffed. "It's just a word, how could it possibly have any effect on you?"

"It's been a while, okay? And it's … you saying it" He finished sheepishly as he closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose like he did when he had trouble solving a problem. It was sweet in a way that she could have so much effect on him while saying so little and she couldn't help wondering if "a while" meant that he hadn't been with anyone else since their last time back in February. She supposed it was one of those many things they'd have to talk about.

"Right. Sorry! I'll just leave you then. But do as I said, it really helps. And think of something unpleasant too!" She added before smoothing down her blouse once more and opening the door.

"I know. I'm a boy. 's not the first time I have to do this Jemma!" He chuckled a little nervously.

"Oh. Right. Sure." She replied and then her lips pulled upwards and she couldn't help turning back around. "You're thinking about professor Vaughn, aren't you?"

"Jemma! Just. Please. Go!"

"Sorry …" She grinned. "Fitz?"

"Whaaaat?" He huffed, letting his head fall against the back of the couch where he'd just seated.

"I'm really happy we're doing this. I mean the talking about our relationship, not the … although it was really nice for me but that's not the-"

"I know what you mean Jemma. And I'm really happy too." He replied, all trace of annoyance gone as he looked at her with the softest expression in his eyes. "But please … Can you-"

"Of course. Sorry. Again. I'll see you in a minute then." She said and finally closed the door to go to the lab, her heart feeling lighter than it's been in months.


	9. Chapter 9

Fitz really was a good cook. Not that he prepared anything extra fancy, it was too late and he was too tired for that, but he still cooked excellent pasta. The tomato sauce was homemade, with herbs and spices that made it smell fantastic, and he even put together a small salad, mostly for her sake, with fresh tomatoes and even those olives she liked so much. Which was strange because he didn't like them himself and always gave them to her whenever they ate at the restaurant together. There was no way that he'd planned how tonight would go, not with the way he kept stealing glances at her in the cab that drove them to his place. Like he couldn't believe they finally had a chance and she really was there with him. At some point, he had moved his hand closer to hers across the middle seat, and his smile had been full of pure innocent joy when she turned her hand around so that they could intertwine their fingers together. It had felt more like being on a first date with her long time crush than on her way to what would probably be a very lengthy but much needed conversation with her long time lover/friend/former arch-enemy and hopefully future ... something.

"So," he started as he came to sit at the table once everything was ready. He'd insisted that he didn't want her to help in the kitchen, that she was a guest and she was exhausted and could rest a bit while he cooked. As sweet and thoughtful as it was, she suspected that, just like her, he probably needed the extra time to put his thoughts in order. "Where do we start?"

"Well, I'd say the salad first but I'm open to suggestions," she said with a small smirk and he chuckled. The tension (not necessarily a bad one) was palpable and a little humor to defuse it wouldn't hurt.

"Good call," he said, picking up the salad bowl and putting a generous amount of it on her plate and a much smaller one on his. "But I actually meant about hum-"

"Our conversation?"

"Yeah. It's not that I don't want to talk because I do. But there's just-"

"So much to say. Yeah, I know," she finished for him with a slightly nervous chuckle. "How about we do it chronologically?"

"How very scientific of you!" he commented and she couldn't help noticing that he seemed to have no problem eating the olives on his plate this time. Hum.

"Did you expect anything else?" she replied with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, no. Actually, if we'd waited till tomorrow to do this, I would have expected you to come with color coded notes about the past ten years," he said. Of course he was completely right. And although she didn't really want to waste anymore time than they already had, it bothered her a little that she didn't have more than just the duration of the cab ride to be prepared.

"Right," she said with a knowing smile. "You start then."

"Alright. Well, if we start with the very beginning, you have to know that I found you extremely annoying when I first met you."

"Thank you! I'm really touched," she commented sarcastically as she popped a cherry tomato into her mouth. He rolled his eyes at her.

"And that's why it took me two whole months to pull my head out of my ass and realize I had a huge crush on you," he added, resting his chin on his hand as he waited for her reaction.

"Oh."

Not even two minutes into their conversation and already a complete surprise.

"So why didn't you say anything back then?" she asked. She knew she was being unfair because he'd already confessed this and so much more and she hadn't said anything yet. And she would tell him everything he'd want to know but first, she needed to understand.

"Ah, I don't know ... I was a teenager and not the most attractive or athletic one. I wasn't particularly popular with girls but I always had my brain and our conversations were always so-so ... stimulating. I never thought a girl like you could be interested in me like that anyway. But when we bickered all the time, at least you were talking to me, and it was better than nothing I guess!"

"Oh, Fitz …" she said with a fondness that had become almost automatic recently. She put her fork down and moved her hand across the table to take his. She'd learned over the past two years how self deprecative he could be but she never realized how much it had impacted their relationship from the very beginning.

"So it took you two years and our last day at Oxford to finally act on your crush?" she asked. He chuckled but there was something almost sad in it.

"I guess, yeah. Except at this point, it was already much more than a crush, Jemma," he replied, his eyes speaking the words he couldn't seem to get out of his mouth this time.

"So why did you leave?" She cried out. Even after all these years, the wound was still there. And it made even less sense now that she knew how he felt at the time. "Fitz! That moment we spent on the balcony, the dancing and that kiss, it was the most memorable one of my young life. Why didn't you wait for me? Why did you disappear like that?"

"Because you were embarrassed, Jemma!" he cried out, falling against the back of his chair. His accent was always stronger when he got angry or frustrated and she chastised herself for the tendril of heat it sent through her body. It clearly wasn't the time for that. "The moment someone came close to seeing us, you pulled back and you left. I thought you hated me back then so what was I supposed to think?"

f

"Do you really think I would have kissed you like that if I hated you, Fitz?"

She grabbed his hand once more before he could move further away.

"I don't know, Jemma! We were eighteen, I just blamed it on the hormones and the champagne we had. You know, just a one time thing in the heat of the moment." He sighed. "I was leaving to work for the government anyway but I-I would have, I don't know what, but I would have done something if I knew I-I-we had a chance for more …"

"Oh, God, Fitz …" she let out in a whisper, bringing his hand to her lips to press a kiss to his knuckles. "If only you didn't think the worst of me. I was just surprised and confused, not embarrassed. And I meant it when I said I wanted to talk things through. I know it happened only once but it changed everything for me back then."

There was a slightly dazed and confused expression on his face. Even now, after everything that happened, he couldn't imagine she reciprocated even a fraction of his feelings at the time.

"You know, it's funny. Out of the two of us, you've probably been the most logical about this in a way," she added. And if anything, he looked even more confused.

"What do you mean?"

"You've gone from dislike and annoyance to an adolescent crush to hum …"

"Love?"

"Yeah …"

"So what about-"

"Whereas I've gone directly from extreme annoyance to madly in love. And to be honest, I don't think I ever really sto-"

She was cut off by Fitz surging forward and crashing his lips to hers in an olive and tomato flavored kiss that took her by surprise and sent her heart beating out of her chest. The position was a little awkward as he had to bend over the table to reach her without dipping his shirt in pasta sauce. But he managed to find his balance and then it was just as delightful and tender as always. With the way their faces and his hand in her hair were the only parts of their bodies in contact, it reminded her of that first, tentative, but no less passionate kiss on the balcony so many years ago. If she only knew back when they were sixteen that shutting each other up with kisses was a possibility, things might have turned out quite differently for them. Although, if it had progressed much faster to more than kisses and cuddles, both of them might have needed a lot more than two years to graduate from Oxford.

He broke the kiss after a moment, ghosting his lips across hers one last time, but still kept his face close as he whispered, "You should eat. Pasta's no good when it's cold."

She couldn't help laughing at how far it was from the grand romantic declaration she expected of him after such a kiss.

"Right. We should eat," she replied, her voice much raspier than she intended, and she was pretty sure there was a little smugness in his smile as he sat back and took the pasta bowl to serve them both.

-0-0-0-

"So that night when you hum-when you …"

"Jumped your bones?" she finished for him, looking up with a little smirk as he actually blushed. If he could act all smug because he made her breathless with kisses, she wouldn't deprive herself of seeing him try to find his way around using actual sex-related words now that they'd reached this point of the conversation.

"Yeah. So hum, was that you acting on your feelings that night?" he asked, wincing a bit at his phrasing.

"I don't know, I don't think it's that simple. It might have been years before but I think a part of me was still heartbroken and mad after you disappeared that night. And our conversations had always made my blood boil with rage anyway so ... I guess it stopped mefrom realizing that I was still also insanely attracted to you … until it didn't anymore and- What?"

She interrupted herself when she noticed how wide his eyes had gone. "I slept with you like a hundred times, it cannot be a surprise that I'm attracted to you!"

"No,no, it's not-I mean it's still nice to hear but it's just, I didn't realize that I'd broken your heart. I was so focused on my feelings that I didn't realize what I'd done to you. I'm so sorry, Jemma, I wish I'd talked to you instead of assuming that-"

"Yeah, well, that's our problem, Fitz. We've always assumed a lot of things and never actually talked much, but that's what tonight is about, yeah?"

Her smile was soft and encouraging but even after all these years, her heart still clenched at the memory. The first heartaches were always the hardest to heal.

"Yeah. Are you done eating?" he asked, nodding towards her almost empty plate, and she simply nodded in response. "Come on then," he added, standing up and taking her hand to lead her to the couch. He pressed a kiss to her knuckles before letting go of her hand, and another on her forehead before he went to sit on the other side. The whole place was big and a little bare, he obviously hadn't taken the time to decorate yet, but the couch was incredibly comfortable with plenty of big cushions to make it more cosy, and that was all she needed at the moment.

"So about that night …" he started again after a moment.

"Yeah. I have to admit that, at first, it was more about you making me very horny," she said, a smile tugging at her lips (whatever happened since then, it was still a pretty fantastic memory). "But after sleeping and waking up in your arms, it felt terribly wrong to call it a mistake and fool ourselves into thinking it was only sex. And I will never stop regretting that I-"

"But why did you look so uncomfortable then?"

"What do you mean? I thought you were uncomfortable, that's why I-"

"NO! Never Jemma. God!" he cut her off, dropping his head in his hands like he always did when he felt out of his depth. "That was-that night was the best night of my life and I thought we had finally come to a place where we could have something … real."

How was it possible for two people to be so physically in synch and have such a beautiful friendship and still be so bad at reading each other?

"Fitz, whatever you saw that morning, I don't think it means what you think it means …" she sighed. That was going to be embarrassing but they swore to be completely honest. "I was watching you sleep, Fitz, I remember it very clearly, and telling myself how beautiful you were. And then the sun hit your face and you opened your eyes and they were just so blue I could swear they were glowing!"

She sighed before continuing.

"So that's it, that's why I was looking at you like that! Because you're so gorgeous it made me gasp like some stupid heroine from a romantic novel!" she finished, crossing her arms over her chest.

"And that makes you … angry?" he asked tentatively and she huffed.

"No! No … it's just-I should have told you, it's not like me to act like a lovestruck fool …"

It was his time to take her hand, moving closer to her on the couch.

"Well, I should have said something too, Jemma." For lack of anything else to keep his hands occupied, he was playing with her fingers. It was more than a little distracting but really nice, so she let him do it. "Because it killed me to agree that it was just a one time thing and nothing but sex but I didn't want you to take pity on me or-"

"So why did it happen again? Why did you let it happen again like that without saying anything? One word and I would have-"

"Because I was weak, Jemma. Because when the woman you've been in love with looks at you like that and starts kissing you and touching you and- how are you supposed to push her away? That was not what I wanted but it was still better than nothing I guess-I mean it WAS better!" he quickly corrected himself. "God! It was everything Jemma! How many boring lectures I went to just because I knew you'd be there …"

He chuckled humorlessly and it broke her heart to think that they'd both been suffering on their own for nothing. She slid a little closer on the couch until she could palm his cheek and rest her forehead against his. He welcomed the contact eagerly, letting out a heavy breath as he brought her free hand to his lips to kiss it once more. He'd been doing that kind of things all along: small kisses on the cheek or forehead, an extra blanket spread out on top of the covers to make sure she wouldn't be cold, even though he was always too hot, or his hand on hers under the table, just to keep a point of contact between them. How did she remain blind to his obvious feelings for her?

"We've been a right couple of idiots, haven't we?" she let out in a sigh and he laughed more sincerely this time.

"I did try to tell you hundreds of times … I thought I saw signs that you might feel something as well but I-I wasn't sure and I don't handle rejection very well," he replied. She knew there was another story there, something that would also explain why he was always so self-deprecating. Hopefully one day he would trust her enough to share that with her.

"Do you remember that last night we spent together Fitz?" she asked softly, disentangling herself from him but still keeping his hands in hers and never breaking eye contact.

"Of course I do!"

"I think it was the first time we started admitting that we had feelings for each other and that's why you found the courage to ask me out on a date, right?"

"Yeah" he smiled. "It wasn't much, but admitting we've been missing each other, it felt like it could be a start …"

"Yeah. Except it wasn't only that," she corrected him and he looked at her with a deep frown between his eyes. "Maybe it was just wishful thinking or I don't know but I-I think I heard, when you were falling asleep, I think I heard you say I love you … Do you think it's possible?"

"Oh." His eyes were wide for a moment before a smiled started tugging at his lips. "I don't remember it this time but I-I certainly said it in my head dozens of times so I'd say it's very probable that-"

"I would have said it back you know!" Jemma cut him off before he had the time to say anything else. She might have forgiven him for the what happened then because she understood that he didn't really have a choice. But she would never forget how sad and betrayed she'd felt at the time, and maybe finally talking about it would help putting it all in the past once and for all and focus on their potential future. "Or at least I was planning to, if we only had one more time together, one small date before-"

"Everything went to hell?" he finished for her and she nodded sadly. "I really did make a mess of things," he declared, his voice a little shaky, and suddenly pulling his hands from her to stand up. He took a few steps towards the kitchen and rested on his forearms as he bent over the table, exhaling loudly.

That wasn't good. She'd seen him do that a few times, back when they were in Oxford and much more recently as they worked together. Usually, it preceded a bout of bad temper that was the result of frustration and anger, sometimes directed at others, but much more often at himself. That wasn't the point of this conversation, to decide who was to blame for everything that happened.

"Hey, hey, hey! Fitz?" she called him before he was tempted to break everything that was on the table. "That's not what I meant, alright?"

She put a gentle hand on his shoulder and, when he didn't recoil, let it slide to the other side until her arm was around both his shoulders. "Like I said, we've both been doing it all wrong from the beginning, there's no reason to blame yourself more than me! I just think we need to lay everything on the table. We can't leave anything unsaid that might come back to bite us in the arse later."

He straightened up and turned around, loosely looping his arms around her waist as he looked down at her with an expression that was still guarded but mixed with a little hope as well.

"So do you mean that you want to try hum … something … new? Between us?" he asked and her lips turned up as a reflex. He was obviously being very cautious about the words he used, not wanting to pressure her into anything, but, in the spirit or laying everything on the table, clear words and intentions would in fact be a much better idea.

"Yes, something new," she replied with a little chuckle. "And by something new, I specifically mean a relationship of the romantic kind, not like a new lunch place or a new position. Although, I did read something in a novel recently and I was curious to know if it was humanly possible and well since we're going to-"

He cut her off with his lips once more, which she would have found frankly rude if being in his arms didn't feel so much like coming home. The kiss was light at first, with the same teasing undertone her latest words had. But as they melted into the embrace, his arms pulling her closer and hers pulling his face down, it quickly turned into something more passionate, his tongue slipping into her mouth and stroking hers hungrily as she released small sounds of pleasure. At some point, his hands started to slide down her waist and lower back to rest on her bum, gently kneading the flesh with his sinfully long fingers. It was nice. Really nice even. But even though she could keep doing just that until she passed out from exhaustion, she remembered that Fitz had been left rather unsatisfied earlier and he was clearly leaning towards more. He was usually able to convince her very easily but the problem was that she was in fact quite close to actually passing out from exhaustion. She knew that what she was feeling at the moment was just a surge of adrenaline from how high the emotions had been all night. It would soon go away and she didn't want to lead Fitz on when she knew she would probably not be able to follow through.

Bringing her hands to his cheeks, she broke the kiss, pressing gentle kisses to his lips and cheeks and jaw before tucking her face into his neck and sliding her arms around his waist. Her body might be tired but her heart was full to bursting with affection for him. He returned her hug with a fond chuckle then moved his hands up again to rub her back, knowing how cold she could get when she was tired.

"So you wanna sleep here tonight?" he half whispered into her ear.

God! It hadn't even occurred to her that she could not sleep here. Just the thought of putting her shoes back on, exiting the building and catching a cab seemed exhausting. But sleeping alone in her bed tonight after everything? That just wasn't even an option in her mind.

"Mmmhm," she mumbled into his neck.

"Alright to share a bed?" he added, more tentatively.

"'f course" she replied without a second thought but then realized they might still not be exactly on the same page. "Although I don't think I'll be able to hum … do … anything .. I-"

"Yeah, yeah, just sleeping obviously!" he cut her off before delicately disentangling himself from her. "I realize I'm having trouble keeping my hands away from you right now, but you're practically falling asleep on the spot. Call me old fashioned, but I have this principle of only having sex with a girl when she's conscious!"

Well, she hoped he would still have his hands on her during the night. Fitz was an excellent cuddler and she loved nothing more than falling asleep with the feeling of his fingers tracing patterns on her skin. The thought brought a dreamy smile to her face and he must have noticed it because he caressed her cheek with his thumb to bring her back to the moment.

"I'm perfectly fine with just watching you sleep for now anyway." he added and she raised her eyebrows in surprise. "What? You always look so content when you sleep. Like a cat! It's very relaxing to watch. Used to help me fall as- WHAT?" he cut himself off as her smile threatened to split her face in two.

"That's awfully romantic of you!" she replied and he rolled his eyes as he tugged her back against him.

"Well, get used to it cause there's a whole lot of romance coming your way!"

He punctuated his words with a peck on the tip of her nose and her heart melted at the softness of it.

"I didn't know you were such a romantic." That wasn't entirely true because even despite the nature of their relationship, she'd caught glimpses of how he could be like in a romantic relationship when he let his guard down. "What else are you hiding from me?"

"Ah! We'll need a lot more than how long you're going to last tonight!" he chuckled. Then taking her arms that were still dangling from her sides, he brought them up around his neck and put his own around her waist again. She smiled widely as he started to sway from side to side.

"Fitz, what are you doing?"

"Dancing of course!"

"But there's no music," she replied, following him anyway.

"Imagine it! I know for a fact that you have a very active imagination," he said, exaggerating his movements and making a giggle escape her lips.

She had a feeling that whole romance thing was going to get out of control real soon. Romantic and adorably quirky felt like a deadly combination she didn't really want to resist anyway.

"So hum … what about work? Because this-this is very important and I meant it when I said I was willing to resign if-"

"I know!" she cut him off. "I believe you. Honestly, I'm not sure about what we should do but I know Coulson doesn't want to see any of us go. We're just too good together!"

Only two or three months ago, she would have never said something like that. But that was before she realized how incredible they could be when they worked together towards the same goal. Coulson called it magic, and even though she corrected him every time, she understood what he meant. There was no way he would split them up if he could find a way around it.

"Yeah, we are! So..."

"So, we give ourselves a little time to figure us out and then, we'll talk to Coulson. Together."

"Alright," he said with a soft voice. "But if either of us needs to go, I'll do it, no discussion."

"I know!" she repeated, rolling her eyes at him fondly. "But i'm hopeful it won't come to that!"

"Okay then. Back to learning stuff about each other!"

"Yeah … Just-most questions can wait until we've had a good night's sleep but I'm a little curious, there's some things I need to know now. Like, when did you learn to cook so well?"

He let out a slightly tense laugh before shrugging and answering like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I've been living on my own since I was sixteen, Jemma. I had to learn at some point!"

"No." She shook her head. "You're not just making food to feed yourself, you're a very good cook, Fitz! It's refined and very tasty," she insisted and let out a small sigh before talking again.

"Ah … my dad left when I was ten so my mum had to work a lot more to make ends meet. I tried my best to help around the house and turns out, even a young teenager can get bored of pizza and sandwiches! So I took my mom's cookbooks and started cooking. 's not difficult really, just had to follow the recipes."

"Oh, Fitz …"

He might have said the whole thing like his dad's leaving when he was still so young was just a random fact amongst others, but she knew better than that now.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't know about your father. That must have been terrible for you, I-"

"Yes and no," he cut her off and she could feel his arms tighten around her despite his attempt to appear unaffected. "I mean, it was really hard but it was still probably for the best …" he trailed off before chuckling once more. "But it's a very long story that's going to have to wait for another day."

"Of course, whenever you're ready," she replied, punctuating her words with a peck on his cheek. As much as she wanted to know more, it wasn't the kind of story one told just like that. He had to do it in his own time and not when they were both too tired to do more than vaguely sway from side to side. She tightened her hold on him as well and waited to see if he wanted the conversation to go somewhere else or if it was time for bed.

"But on the subject of food I do have another dark secret you don't know about," he finally said in a tone that suggested it really wasn't quite as shocking as his words implied.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. I know you noticed them in the salad so I guess it's time I tell you that I actually really like olives …"

"Fitz!" she cried out, her head shooting up. He gave her a small smile that was a mix between amusement and embarrassment. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Well you asked if I was going to eat them and I actually never said I didn't like them, just that you could have them," he replied. "We were just starting to mend our relationship and it made you so happy. I wouldn't give up any of your big smiles and cheek kisses for all the olives in the world!"

"Awww, Fitz that's just too adorable, I-honestly I don't think I can compete. You are going to kill me with romance, aren't you?" she asked with a fond roll of her eyes.

"Well, I've been refraining myself for ten years so … yeah," he replied with a crooked grin before pressing a light kiss to her lips.

"Alright, guess I can deal with that." Not to mention the no less adorable puppy-like affection he seemed to display the moment he was in an official relationship.

"Okay, your turn! Tell me something I don't know."

"Hmm. Well I suppose you should know that kiss on the balcony was the best I ever had and I didn't kiss anyone else for over a year because I felt like it would never be this good anymore."

"Oh!" he let out, raising a surprised eyebrow. "Better than Milton's?"

"Ugh, Fitz!" She rolled her eyes as she swatted his arm for good measure.

"So?"

"Yeah of course it was! I've had better since then though," she grinned.

"Oh"

"With you mostly."

His expression changed from amusement to disappointment to child-like happiness in so little time that she couldn't help laughing. He really did wear all his emotions on his face.

"Well, it was pretty special to me too, especially since it was my first one."

"Wow!" she let out in a whisper. "That's a lot of secrets being revealed tonight for sure"

"Is that too much?" he asked, his expression a little unsure.

"No, no, no, of course not" she quickly replied. She didn't want him to have the impression that it made her feel uncomfortable. She didn't regret the kisses and the one relationship she had before him, and it had probably taught her a few things as well, but it made her feel a little jealous. It really was a lovely idea to think that you could end up with the first person you ever kissed.

Wait. Did she already imagine herself spending the rest of her life with Fitz? Well, at least she knew the thought brought a smile to her lips and an incredibly warm feeling in her chest.

"No, it's-again that's really sweet and I'm really glad I was. Did I hum-did it live up to your expectations?"

"You know it did. It was hum-yeah it was pretty amazing."

"That's good then," she said with a soft sleepy smile. At some point, Fitz had started making them sway again and, if anything, it was lulling her to sleep. "Oh wait! Was I also your first … you know …" she asked with a tilt of her head and a knowing look and it took him a moment to understand. But then he raised his eyebrows in surprise and let out a snort.

So apparently not.

"Ah, no. I'm a hopeless romantic really but I was also a very horny young adult surrounded by women who actually found my intelligence attractive for once."

"Hey! I always found your intelligence attractive. Along with the rest of you!" she declared petulantly, feeling ridiculously jealous of women she never met and that Fitz had probably long forgotten.

"Well, that's nice to know but-Wait! Did it FEEL like it was my first time?" he cut himself off, sounding extremely worried. She chuckled.

"Of course it didn't. I never really thought it was. I was teasing. Mostly. No one is that good on the first time anyway. Even someone as thoughtful and generous as you, Fitz."

"Yeah. You're right about that. And that's one story I'm not ready to tell you just yet!" he chuckled. "So one last secret before … Well, before I probably have to carry you to bed at this point?"

She would keep her dignity and walk there herself but she had to admit the idea was tempting, being exhausted as she was.

"Well, it's not exactly a secret anymore but I think it's time I said it properly … I love you, Fitz" she finally declared, her heart pounding in her chest. It wasn't like she was afraid he didn't feel the same. She knew he did. But it seemed important and he must have agreed because his eyes filled with tears as he looked at her.

"I love you too, Jemma" he replied, his throat knotted with emotion. She just had the time to smile before he palmed her cheek and gently tilted her face up to kiss her. There was nothing tentative or uncertain then. It was a kiss fueled by too long repressed love and affection and it was, both literally and metaphorically, breathtaking. His hand slid to the back of her head until he could thread his fingers into her hair and Jemma let out a slight moan of pleasure. And when his tongue pressed against the seam of her lips, she gladly gave him entrance. Their tongues met and parted as their lips easily glided against each other. Even back when their relationship consisted mostly of one or two nights of wild sex every two months, there had always been an underlying tenderness behind his kisses that betrayed his soft nature. Like the way he always caressed her hair or held her close, as if she might fall if he didn't. And combined with everything she was feeling at the moment, it was a very real possibility. She was ridiculously weak in the knees and more than a little turned on as their bodies pressed closer and closer to each other. She was even starting to reconsider her intent to do nothing but sleep in his bed that night when he pressed one last lighter kiss to her lips before moving back.

It took her a moment to open her eyes again and when she did, he had one of those infuriatingly attractive smug smiles on his face.

"Still got it!" he said in the most ridiculous smooth voice and she burst out laughing, letting her forehead fall on his shoulder.

"Alright, Romeo. Carry me to bed now!" she told him with a defiant smile. Honestly, she didn't think he was capable of doing much more than lifting her up on a table, storage room shelf or against a wall or … other surfaces. But, anyway, she was willing to see him try.

Of course, she knew that the engineer and physics genius in him would know the best way to carry a heavy weight with limited strength at his disposal. She just didn't think the romantic in him would ever dare to grab her behind the knees and carry her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

Obviously she was wrong.

-0-0-0-

"There you are!"

Jemma smiled as she heard Fitz's bare feet across the floor. "I was afraid you changed your mind and left," he added with a lightness in his tone that suggested it was just a joke.

"Don't be ridiculous. I just wasn't sleepy anymore."

"But it's insanely early," he protested and she rolled her eyes fondly as she opened another cupboard and successfully found maple syrup. His kitchen was incredibly well stocked and she thought that it really was a good thing they went back to his place because she didn't think she could have cooked such a nice breakfast with beer, sriracha and that weird jar of pickles that was probably older than the fridge itself.

"It's nine o'clock, Fitz!" she said as she turned around to flash him a bright smile.

"But it's Saturday!"

"But I slept wonderfully well and it's still an hour later than I usually wake up on Saturday."

But it's Saturday!" he repeated, coming to lean against the kitchen counter as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. She'd already noticed he wasn't exactly a morning person, obviously, but that sleepy face was kind of irresistible. She walked to him and kissed him lightly on the lips. He pressed for a little more and she noticed how fresh his breath was. Even as sleepy as he still looked, he apparently took the time to brush his teeth before getting out of the bedroom. Which she found very thoughtful of him, and funny because she did the same herself of course. Could it be that she found a boyfriend who excelled at preparation as much as she did?

Oh, boyfriend. She hadn't used the word yet when thinking about Fitz but that certainly had a nice ring to it.

"And I'm making breakfast!" she replied, threading her fingers through his hair to try and put a little order in it. Ah! That was a lost cause it seemed, but it only endeared him to her that much more. Especially since he apparently decided to grow it out, giving her more fluffy curls to bury her hands in.

"Looks promising!" he said with an almost adoring smile as his gaze shifted towards the bowl full of pancake mix and the smaller one she used to prepare a fruit salad. "But you didn't have to do all that just because I made dinner, you know."

"I know, but I wanted to! Unless … does it bother you that I went through your stuff?"

She did it without thinking, especially since she found everything so easily. He had a very logical and smart system that was consistent with how well his lab was always organized, which somehow put her in an even more excellent mood than she already was.

"No, of course not. I want you to feel at home here. Look through all of my stuff if you like, I have nothing to hide except a few shameful things in my CD collection maybe," he said with a slight wince before his lips turned up into a smile once more.

"Alright then, I'll investigate those CDs later but for now I'm quite content to just cook breakfast with my boyfriend," she replied, testing the word out loud to see how that sounded to him. From the bigger grin that formed on his face, he seemed to like it.

So much in fact that he forgot about breakfast and stopped her before she had the time to pour pancake mix onto the neat little pancake pan she found in his pantry. He turned her around and looped his arms around her waist to capture her lips once more in a kiss that quickly grew much hotter than a good morning kiss. He licked across the seam of her lips and she parted them immediately to let him in, swiping her tongue against his and enjoying his lovely minty fresh taste. Being barefoot reminded her of their slight height difference and she looped her arms behind his neck to go up on her tiptoes and pull him closer until her back hit the edge of the kitchen counter. A rush of heat hit her low in the belly when she realized he was already half hard against her hip.

She knew it was just biology and most likely just a morning erection but still, nothing more than sleepy kisses had happened the previous night after all, and she liked to think that she was the one having that effect on him. After he, very gracelessly, carried her to the bed, he went to get her some of his clothes she could wear to bed. And after they spent five minutes washing their faces and brushing their teeth next to each other facing the bathroom mirror, her arousal had leveled quite a bit and she was content to bask in the simple domesticity of it all. He'd just told her he wanted her to feel at home and the thing was that she already did. Of course, it had more to do with Fitz than the place itself but she could already imagine them doing movie nights cuddled up on his big comfy couch or cooking together as they debriefed the day. Not to mention the plans she had for him and that wonderful bed she-

"Oh!" she moaned into his mouth as his hands travelled south and suddenly lifted her up onto the kitchen counter.

So. Maybe that hardness she felt growing was all about her after all.

She smiled into the kiss and parted her legs so that he could come and stand between them. She let go of his lips for a moment, and took advantage of the few centimeters she had over him now to bury her head into his neck and mouth at the sensitive skin there in that way that never failed to make him shiver.

"So … breakfast later then?" she whispered against his skin, and he just groaned before bringing her lips back to his for a messy, urgent kiss that made her center pulse with even more desire.

"I don't want you to think that I …" he started as he took his turn kissing her neck. "… don't appreciate you making breakfast because …" His hands blindly went for the buttons of the soft plaid pajama shirt he'd laid out for her in case she got cold during the night. Like that was ever going to happen when sleeping next to a human radiator.

He moved back for a second to look into her eyes, and if she wasn't already a goner, that heated half lidded look he gave her then would have done it for good.

"I really do appreciate it. And I'm sure I'm going to enjoy it a lot, but right now-"

"You'd rather enjoy me instead?" she finished with a sly grin.

"Absolutely!" he replied, completely serious, and that was all she needed to pull him back and lock her legs over his bum.

She crashed her lips back to his as her hands scrabbled at the hem of his t-shirt. Underneath, his skin was still impossibly warm from having just woken up and she took her time running her fingers from the small of his back to the lovely muscles of his shoulders, until he was physically forced to move back so that he could take his shirt over his head. When he was done, his hands flew to the buttons of her shirt and even in his haste to get the offending garment off her, his gestures were just as precise as always.

"God I've missed you!" he sighed once the sides of the shirt were hanging on both sides and her chest was bare to his gaze.

"Me or my boobs?" she asked, noticing the direction of his eyes, and he chuckled breathlessly.

"All of you," he replied. "but it's been longer with these two!" he added with a delighted grin as he palmed them both in one swift movement. For a second, it kind of felt like he was comparing oranges at the supermarket, but then he swiped his thumbs over her nipples and pinched them gently and she let out a shaky breath. He let go of one and slid his hand around to pull her closer to the edge of the counter. His hard cock pressed directly against her folds and, this time, she let out a really loud moan. His mouth replaced his hand on her chest and he started licking and sucking on it like his life depended on it and God, apparently they'd missed him as well! She let her head fall back as she pushed her chest up, definitely enjoying his ministrations. Despite the obvious urgency of his desire, his hands still felt as delicate and strong and sinfully dexterous as they'd ever been and she could feel her own lust grow with every passing second. Her knickers were clinging to her skin from how wet she already was, so she straightened up and grabbed his arse to pull him even closer. She needed more than just the contact of his hardness against her folds, she needed friction and she needed something for her muscles to clench around. He ground against her two, three times before moving back once more and she whimpered in frustration. He chuckled at the pitiful little sound and just pushed his boxers down his legs in response. He looked at her with something akin to smugness and she was tempted to roll her eyes at him. She'd always found him terribly attractive but she never knew him to be excessively proud of it so why- Oh wait. Had he been working out since the last time?

Ah! Never mind, she thought. She'd have ample time to study him later. At the moment, she needed him much closer.

He gently pushed her legs back together and she would have felt terribly insulted if he didn't immediately hook his hands on the sides of her knickers. Without thinking, she put her hands behind and lifted her bum to let him slide the piece of cotton down her legs. He took his time getting it down to her feet too, sinking to his knees to guide it until it reached the tip of her toes. He'd always liked teasing her, of course, and she was tempted to squirm to accelerate the process but she had to admire his restraint there. So she let him do as he pleased and shook her head in amusement as he made a show of throwing her knickers over his shoulder as far as he could.

"Hope you have some something else for me to wear later because I'm not wearing that after it's been behind your fridge," she said with a roll of her eyes. He looked up at her with a wicked smile as he said, "Sure, I have a whole collection of pretty lacy knickers you can wear!"

"Previous girlfriends?" she asked without being able to completely hide the slight edge of irrational jealousy in her voice.

"Oh no, they're all mine!" he replied with a tone that would almost be convincing if it wasn't for that spark in his eyes. She grinned for a moment as the image of Fitz wearing her kinkiest ensembles floated in front of her eyes. But then he firmly pushed her legs apart again, his darkened blue gaze never leaving hers, and she released a harsh breath. Even after everything that had happened between them and despite literally having the higher ground, she felt at the same time aroused beyond reason and a little shy at having her most sensitive parts exposed to him that way. He caught her left foot then, and the simple contact of his thumbs on the arch of her foot sent a tendril of heat straight to her core. He let it rest on his shoulder and started kissing up her leg.

"Maybe hum-maybe we should take this to the … bed," she suggested as he got past her knee. Unless he had some sort of bingo card to fill up with different places to have sex, a bed would definitely be more comfortable for what she had planned next.

He just hummed in response something that could have been yes, no or just anything else really, and kept pressing sucking kisses up her thigh.

"I mean I don't mind feeling like the taller one for once b- Oh God!"

She cut herself off as his tongue made contact with the lips of her pussy and she forgot the words she was going to say. Or any word of the English language really. She also forgot about how hard the surface of the counter was under her arse or how, after the previous night, she should have been the one doing that for him and just focused on his head between her thighs and what he was doing there.

He gave her one long slow and teasing lick that had her gasping for breath, then directly went for her clit. It started throbbing even harder as he gave it little licks with the tip of his tongue in quick succession. Her whole body was tense and felt about to burst into flames already. He pushed her legs further apart and she moaned something fierce as the breath of air on her skin was followed by his lips pressing against her clit and sucking on it. It looked like he was a little impatient after all because he was obviously going for efficiency there. Which was fine by her, not that she didn't tremendously enjoy the way he could sometimes tease her for hours, but she craved more contact. She needed to feel his arms around her, his hot skin against hers as they moved together and most of all, that fantastic feeling, after, when she was so content and high on endorphins and him, she thought she might lift off from the bed and fly away. Out of everything, his warm weight on top of her was her favorite way of being reminded that she couldn't. His fingers joined his mouth and she came with a loud cry just as he pushed two of them inside her channel. The sensation was intense and sudden and she lost balance for a moment. Her hand scrabbled for purchase on the edge of the counter as her vision became spotty.

He remained on his knees for a moment, pressing kisses all over her sensitive skin as his fingers gently pumped in and out of her to milk that last remnants of pleasure from her body. Until she let out one last contented sigh and the muscles of her legs relaxed.

"That was fantastic Fitz!" she whispered, her voice still ecstatic. "But you really didn't have to-"

His mouth was on hers once more before she could finish her sentence, his tongue hungrily pushing between her lips and keeping the fire between her legs very much alive. She wrapped them around his hips once more and groaned into his mouth as his cock pressed against her center. She grabbed his arse and pressed him even closer, enjoying the way he whimpered as she squeezed his sensitive flesh. God, it was just so round and firm, she wanted to bite into it. He'd looked a little outraged that time she did it but she didn't think he minded when he turned around and her biting turned to something else though. The thought sent another spark of heat through her body and she wondered if maybe she could-

"Jemma?" he mumbled into her mouth, bringing her thoughts back to his whole body and how good it felt to be finally surrounded by it after so long.

Alright then, she'd keep that idea for later. Definitely for later. Turnabout was fair play after all and she'd missed those delightfully arousing noises he made when she went down on him.

"Mmmhh," she let out. Then breaking the kiss, she attacked his neck. Her desire for him made her a little frantic and she hungrily sucked his earlobe between her lips, wondering if she could get some of those noises out of him another way.

"Jemma!" he repeated breathlessly. "Can I hum … can I-"

He groaned as his hips stuttered against her center and she grinned against the skin of his neck. Making him lose his words usually was a very good sign.

"Yes," she sighed and that was all he needed to take his hand from where it was roaming on her back under her-his shirt. He fisted his cock and aligned it with her entrance and she closed her eyes to better enjoy the intense sensation of that first slide and … nothing.

Opening her eyes again, she was met with his lustful gaze and she wanted to chide him for making them both wait for no reason. But there was a slight frown between his eyes as well.

"What is it, Fitz?" she asked, voice raspy as ever.

"I-hum … do I, I mean do we need a condom?"

"Oh."

You'd think he would have asked her that before he went down on her. Or maybe he just trusted her to tell him on her own if she'd had unprotected sex. Which she supposed was sweet, although quite irresponsible, but then why ask now? Unless ...

"I mean, I don't need to know any detail. Just want to make sure it's-"

"I haven't been with anyone, Fitz!" she cut him off. "Not since … you"

"Oh. Good."

His face relaxed into a soft smile as he palmed her cheek with his free hand and kissed her hard and heated. She felt his cock align with her entrance again as his tongue plundered her mouth. She wanted to give into the feeling but she just needed to know first or it wouldn't leave her alone.

"Fitz?" she asked against his lips as she barely managed to break the kiss. "So we don't need a … you didn't hum-"

"I haven't been with anyone either!"

"Oh, thank god!" she cried out, the words getting out of her mouth before she could stop them. "I mean … it would have been alright!" she corrected herself, her eyes going comically wide.

He raised an eyebrow.

"I wanted you to be happy of course and if it meant you met someone and hu- I would have been ultimately alright with it, it's just-"

"That's alright Jemma!" he mercifully cut her off. "I wanted you to be happy too. That didn't mean I wouldn't have secretly planned the murder of anyone flirting with you."

She grinned at him, feeling a bit weird that the thought of him planning to murder someone made her so happy, and pressed her lips to his, just needing the extra point of contact.

"You really are amazing, Fitz!" she whispered against his lips. "And you should know that this is the happiest I've felt in months and I know that you're going to-"

She whimpered as he pushed inside her. Almost as a reflex she captured his bottom lip between hers and he pushed deeper, stretching her walls until he was in to the hilt, and they both sighed in synchrony.

"Sorry to interrupt but I-I just couldn't-"

"Yeah, we'll talk later, now move!"

He chuckled breathlessly at the impatience in her voice and did just as he was asked. With one arm around her back and the other hand flat on the counter, he started moving out and in again. It took a moment to find the right angle and how to position their limbs so that it was pleasurable without either of them tiring out too soon. But after that, he picked up a rhythm of slow deep thrusts that both had them panting and whimpering in pleasure in very little time. Her arousal had barely had the time to level after her first orgasm anyway, and Fitz had been waiting since the previous night. It was a miracle he had the restraint not to come the moment he entered her! She had looped her arms behind his neck and with her legs around his hips, every movement he made rocked her entire body against the hard surface of the counter. Every sensation was heightened by it, making her see stars every time he managed to hit that lovely spot within her, and soon she found herself on the edge of another orgasm.

"More!" She whispered against his lips. They weren't even really kissing at this point, their lips just pressed together for the softness of it.

"Hold on," he said as he let go of her and the counter to grab her legs and hike them up higher. She let her hands slide down to loop them around his chest instead as he started pounding into her faster. This new angle was incredible with his cock sliding just right against her g-spot every time, and she could feel his muscles rolling under her hands and hear his labored breathing and-

She came with a deep low moan. Her first orgasm had been incredible as always, and a little stronger, but this one was heightened by their closeness and the way she could feel all his muscles tense and vibrate against her skin. When she started coming down from it, she captured his lips in a messy hot kiss, stroking his tongue with hers and biting his lower lip before letting go.

She looked at him for a moment and she could see how close he was from his wide pupils and feel it in how hard he was holding on to her legs. Pressing one last kiss to his lips, she took her hands off him and rested them on the counter behind her, pushing her chest up. As much as she liked feeling his warm skin against her sensitive nipples as they moved, she knew HE liked the visual just as much. She grinned when he released a harsh breath and confirmed her thoughts. But then he started thrusting again and she squeaked as it felt like it was prolonging her climax. He picked up an almost punishing pace, letting go of any restraint he might still have and pounding into her with abandon as he fought to keep his gaze on her face and not her bouncing breasts. That was a lost battle of course, and after barely more than a minute, he came with a groan, his face buried between her tits in a way that had her laughing in delight. He grabbed one nipple between his lips then and sucked on it. Her laugh turned much throatier.

His hips kept stuttering for a moment and when he was completely spent, he let go of her legs and pulled her into a hug instead.

"God I've missed you so much!" he mumbled into her neck.

"Talking to my boobs again?" she asked.

"Well I've been seeing YOU everyday so …" he replied with a smile in his voice.

She huffed and weakly tried to move away from him but he didn't let her. Instead he loosened his arms just enough to look her in the eyes.

"I'm kidding, I've been missing all of you and this-this closeness and-"

"Yeah, me too!" she replied before cupping his cheek and pulling him into a soft loving kiss.

She sighed when they broke apart.

"I should hum-" she said, nodding towards the bathroom.

"Oh! Sure, just let me-"

She made a face when he stepped back and his softening cock slipped out of her. He let out a small embarrassed laugh as he quickly pulled his boxers up and helped her off the counter.

"You go to the bathroom and I'll take care of the mess here," he said, his expression now a mix of shyness and amusement. She suspected he was actually quite proud of himself for checking the "hot messy sex on the kitchen counter" box. "You can grab a pair of my boxers while we put your underwear in the wash if you like"

"Alright …" she replied softly and started walking towards the bathroom. Halfway there though, she remembered she forgot to do something very important that morning, and walked back to him. She took his hand and turned him around, tilting her face up to look into his eyes. "Love you!" she said before pressing a kiss to his nose, then one to each of his cheeks and finally a last one on his lips.

His smile was blinding when she pulled back.

"Is it too soon to ask you not to ever leave this place anymore?"

"Is that another romance attack or a very polite kidnapping?" she asked with a huge grin.

He rolled his eyes at her but it looked like he was just too happy to stop smiling.

"I mean, there's still so much you don't know about me. Like the fact that I comment everything when I watch a movie, especially science-fiction, and hum … Oh! I often order salad at the restaurant and then steal fries from other people's plates and-"

He stopped her with a gentle finger on her lips.

"I love having someone to comment movies with me, and I will always order extra fries so you can steal them and still feel good about yourself because you ordered salad!"

"I love you so much!" she mumbled against his finger before kissing it.

"And I love you too," he replied with a soft smile.

"How about I stay for the weekend, and we'll talk about "not ever leaving anymore" later?"

"That's all I'm asking!"


End file.
